Early Leadership
Old LSU Site
— Louisiana State Seminary & Military Academy —
William Tecumseh Sherman, a graduate of West Point, was appointed the fist superintendent and a professor of engineering of the Louisiana Seminary of Learning & Military Academy.
In June of that year, General G. Mason Graham wrote to Major D.C. Buell, assistant adjunct general of the Army, in regard to a proper candidate for superintendent of the Seminary. Major Buell forwarded a prospectus of the Seminary to Sherman, who had recently resigned from 13 years of service in the U.S. Army to engage in the banking business. Upon reviewing the materials, Sherman applied to Governor Robert C. Wickliffe for the position. General Graham was the half brother of Sherman's former commanding officer in California, and this relationship is thought to have influenced Sherman's appointment as superintendent.
On February 25, 1860, following the seizure of the United States Arsenal in Baton Rouge, Sherman resigned his post at the Seminary and left Louisiana for Ohio. While Sherman was most notably known for his "March to the Sea" during the Civil War, he filed a standing request with the commander of the district that the Seminary would not be destroyed, and the building survived the war.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • War, US Civil.
Location.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Seminary Building (within shouting distance of this marker); This Stone Was A Part Of The 1st LA. Seminary (within shouting distance of this marker); A Brief History of the Seminary and the Original Campus (within shouting distance of this marker); Campus Life (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy (about 400 feet away); Superintendent William T. Sherman (about 400 feet away); Fallen Federal Firefighters/ Oklahoma City Bombing Victims Memorial Grove (about 800 feet away); First United Methodist Church (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pineville.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 20, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2017, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 201 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 5, 2017.