(TEXAS) Sherman Roger L Archive of a cavalry corporal on the

Sale 2287 - Lot 448

Price Realized: $ 4,500

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Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750

(TEXAS.) Sherman, Roger L. Archive of a cavalry corporal on the Texas border in 1918. More than 400 manuscript and typescript leaves (0.3 linear feet), including letters from the front, diaries, memoirs, and more from Sherman's military service and beyond; various sizes and conditions. Vp, 1916-1935

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Roger LeRoy Sherman (1901-1986) was a 16-year-old Manhattan office worker when he enlisted in the 8th Cavalry. Much of this collection describes his service on the Mexican border between Marfa and El Paso, Texas. He gives a long account of single-handedly taking on a group of three bandits, killing their leader José Sanchez and driving the others off: "I spoke up loudly, Hands up! On the instant, he whipped around, looking for something to shoot at, saw me, and fired. Our shots were almost simultaneous; I fired just a moment before he did. His bullet zipped past me altogether too close for comfort; he crumpled, and as he fell fired again." His diaries, letters, and memoirs are full of similarly dramatic stories, from his shooting of a deserter careering down the highway in a stolen car, to his role in the arrest of a murderer at Hester's Ranch.
After the war, Sherman worked as the secretary of the Studio Guild art agency in Manhattan. Though possessing minimal education, he was a compulsive reader and writer. His diary from 1923 to 1928 features irregular but astoundingly long and detailed accounts of his drunken escapades and trysts.