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I am a Southerner and was taught early as a child that Sherman was evil, not quite on Hitler or Stalin's level, but close. In Georgia, his name was generally spoken as a curse.
I love history and because I received a heavy dose of the history of the War Between the States in my youth, I found it more interesting to study European and Ancient History in college and later in life. Still, the history of that awful war still resonates in modern times.
We have gone from treating my Southern ancestors that fought for the CSA as heroes to misguided bigoted slave holders. Yes, my ancestors had slaves. I am told from my Grandparents, parents and Aunt that our ancestors worked in the fields alongside the slaves.

Back to the issue. William T. Sherman changed history, because his tactics included destroying the economic base of the keystone state of the South (Georgia). In fact, his troops destroyed my Mother's family plantation. From an objective view, Sherman anticipated the future of warfare. I agree that we could use some tougher tactics than have been the case. However, in a counterinsurgency operation, destroying the enemy is hard until you figure out just who the enemy really is.
Lee and Sherman, in their own way were both true American heroes.