Supreme Court Connected to Famous Civil War General

As the nation continues to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we note that the Supreme Court of Ohio is connected to a significant player in that conflict between the states.

You may remember reading in your history books about Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and his March to the Sea in 1864 during the Civil War. What you may not have read is that Sherman was a native of Lancaster, Ohio and that his father served on the Ohio Supreme Court.

Charles Robert Sherman was born on September 26, 1788, in Norwalk, Conn. He came to Ohio in 1810 and established his law practice in Lancaster, Ohio. He also had military experience, serving as a major in the Third Division of the Second Brigade of the Ohio Militia during the War of 1812.

The 15th member of the Supreme Court from January 28, 1823 until his death on June 24, 1829, Charles Sherman served a single term. This was a time when those who served on the Court traveled the entire state by horseback – riding the circuit – to hear cases.

General Sherman recalled how excited the children were when their father came home. He wrote: “I can remember well his coming home as usual on horseback, when all the boys would run to meet him. Whoever got to him first had the privilege to ride his horse back to the stable on the rear of the lot.”

Before his time on the Ohio Supreme Court, Charles Sherman served as collector of Internal Revenue for the Third District of Ohio and as a trustee of Ohio University. He also started a private elementary school in 1820 in Lancaster.

For more information on Justice Sherman, visit this link:

http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/SCO/formerjustices/bios/sherman.asp.