December 22, 1864 – Sherman’s Christmas Present to Lincoln

On this date in history, Union Major General William T. Sherman sent a telegram to President Lincoln, reading:

To His Excellency, President Lincoln:

I beg to present you as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton.

W. T. Sherman, Major-General”

Savannah had been one of the last major ports that remained open to the Confederates.

In a reply to the telegram dated December 26, 1864, Lincoln wrote: “Many, many thanks for your Christmas gift.” He admitted to having been “anxious, if not fearful” when Sherman left Atlanta, but, “Feeling that you were the better judge, and remembering that ‘nothing risked, nothing gained,’ I did not interfere.” The gambit having succeeded, Lincoln added, “the honor is all yours.”

Major General William Tecumseh Sherman in May 1865 by Matthew Brady. The black ribbon of mourning on his left arm is for President Lincoln.