Two proposals to name the LSU Parade Ground in honor of U.S. Union Army Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and dedicate the Parade Ground to cadets and midshipmen who died before finishing their time at the University, respectively, were pulled by author LSU Student Government College of Humanities and Social Sciences senator Johnathon Price.
SGCR 26 proposed to name the Parade Ground after Sherman, the University’s first superintendent, when the University was the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy in 1859.
The bill was introduced to the SG senate on Sept. 20 and passed Campus Affairs and Sustainability Committee on Sept. 25. Price said a female student not part of SG implied Sherman was a white supremacist as he did not advocate for people of color and did not support the advancement for people of color.
Price said she was “wrongfully informed,” but negativity attached to the bill and he lost support before it went to the floor for approval. He pulled the bill on Sept. 27 and the bill was killed on Oct. 4.
According to the The Encyclopedia of the Great Plains by University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Sherman practiced his strategy of property destruction against Plains Indians. Under his leadership, he supported an “all-out war” to destroy the Indians’ subsistence base, to end “the painful struggle by militarily controlling the tribes.” The source credits Sherman with advocating for these things, even though he recognized the unjust aspects of the fight.
SGCR 47 was introduced on Oct. 4 and proposed dedicating the Parade Groundto cadets and midshipmen who died while furthering their studies and training at the University. It was discovered by LSU Facility Services, Price said, that the University is a land-grant university and there are specific areas that cannot be named, including the Parade Ground, Memorial Tower and Tiger Stadium.
“As students, even if we put it into a referendum and have the students [vote], even if it passed favorably, which I would believe it would have, it wouldn’t have done anything,” Price said. “It’s just presenting a case to the Board of Supervisors saying ‘Hey, the students vote on this, we want to see it through.’ No action would have been seen on this.”
SGCR 47 was pulled on Oct. 9.
Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College Jonathan Earle expressed support for the bill, and said it would be a nice gesture to name something after Sherman because he had done so much for the school. He also said that, in light of the recent movement to remove Confederate monuments, this could represent a new way forward.
“He was one of the first to bring war to the people, in total war,” Earle said. “Suffice it to say, he is not popular in the South. Instead of taking down a monument, maybe build one?”
The idea of naming the Parade Ground after Sherman was also discussed in spring 2017, Earle said. A speech was given by Auburn University Emeritus Professor James McDonough at the Honors College on April 4, 2017. University alumnus and political consultant James Carville offered comments after the speech.
“He did a really nice job talking about his time here at LSU, which a lot of people didn’t know about,” Earle said. “So, lo and behold, James Carville stands up and says, ‘That’s why we think the Parade Grounds should be named after Sherman.’”
Price said he has began exploring new possibilities to honor Sherman. He said he is working with the University Corps of Cadets and professors of military science at the University to name the Military Science Building after Sherman. Additionally, he said he is exploring the idea of allowing a tank to be placed on campus in front of the Military Science Building in Sherman’s honor.
“William Tecumseh Sherman is the founder of the University,” Price said. “He’s the founder of the Corps of Cadets and he is the reason we are here. He’s also this hero of the United States.”
As for honoring fallen University cadets and midshipmen, Price said it is best to drop the idea as it may be “reactionary” in light of the suicide of University student Michael Nickelotte, Jr.
Price said he sat down with both Earle and Carville, and they all agreed it was important to honor the general.
“We sat down and looked at this and said there is not a single thing on this campus that honors the founder of the University,” Price said. “That is such an old South, deep Southern hatred for Sherman. It’s time that we move in a progressive direction and change that.”
Natalie Anderson contributed to this report.
