Upon Which Everything Depends: Two Tales of a Horse Named Sam

Author Rachel Gilmore fell in love with the story of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman’s horse, Sam, and his connection to Frankfort, Illinois, while handling publicity for a sculpture dedication honoring the pair. However, what Gilmore discovered as she began to research the story behind the story was that Sam’s legendary status for making the longest equine march in military history was, in fact, a legend. According to the general’s own journal entries and personal correspondence during the war, Sherman, in an unusual display of compassion and family loyalty, sent Sam home mid-war after the death of his oldest son, Willy. Yet the newly uncovered evidence doesn’t change the fact that Sam’s role in the war was one “upon which everything depends,” at least for Sherman’s sense of duty and honor. And, what emerges from the general’s words are two compelling historical horse tales…that of Civil War hero and faithful family friend.