What does a President get for Christmas?

Some of you may have received a pair of crochet mittens, black socks, a reindeer emblazoned sweater or maybe a nice lump of coal, but I'll bet nobody got a whole city this year!  Well back in 1864, that's exactly what our President Lincoln received from Major General William T. Sherman via the telegraph below.  I'd heard the story many times over the years about Sherman's March to The Sea down the east coast from Atlanta to Savannah during the Civil War, burning all that lay in his tracks.  And once while visiting Savannah, I actually heard the story from a walking tour-guide and viewed the building where Sherman made quarters during his short stay.

Here is the telegraph that General Sherman wrote to President Lincoln:

Photo courtesy of To the Manner Born

The note is a tad tough to read, so let me help you out:

"I beg to present you as a Christmas Gift the city of Savannah with 150 heavy guns, plenty of ammunition and also about 25,000 bales of cotton."

Major General Sherman

So thank you Major General Sherman for not burning the beautiful city of Savannah.  I only wish you would have had the same generosity with the rest of the historic Georgian landscape you decided to burn! 

So if you think you received an odd present for Christmas this year, just think how our dear President Lincoln felt upon receipt of this letter! If you didn't already know, the President was grateful.