California fires threaten General Sherman, the largest tree on earth. What the monument topplers missed in their rampage against statues recently, The Good Lord is attempting to complete today. Firefighters are trying to save the big tree by wrapping it in fire protective blankets. General William Tecumseh Sherman, you might remember, burned every city he visited as he marched through The South in The War For Southern Independence. He is revered for his hatred of independent states.