Sherman's March to the Sea

The American Civil War broke out in 1861, and in 1864 battles continued to rage across the war-weary South. In mid-November to late December, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891) changed tactics not only to force the surrender of the Confederate army but to break the spirit of the Confederate people. Leading 62,000 Union soldiers from Atlanta, Georgia , Sherman marched east across the land toward the seaport of Savannah. In their wake they left a trail of destruction up to sixty miles wide. The event is now known as Sherman's March to the Sea.

Sherman's inspiration to change tactics came from his frustration in leading his army against the Confederates between Chattanooga, Tennessee , and Atlanta, Georgia. Delaying tactics by Confederate General Joseph Johnston prevented any major confrontations. When General John Bell Hood replaced Johnston, skirmishes finally occurred, but Sherman found himself chasing Hood across territory previously crossed in pursuit of Johnston's army. When General Hood abandoned Atlanta and headed off to Union supply dumps at Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee, Sherman revised his approach. He sent a relatively small force of his men after Hood under the charge of George Thomas. Sherman and the remaining men turned toward Savannah.

By September 1864, Sherman had chased the Confederate army out of Atlanta, a major supply station for the Confederates. Before turning to begin his march across Georgia to Savannah, Sherman and his men ensured the disabling of Atlanta by setting much of it on fire. The next part of his campaign was aimed at destroying Georgia's economic resources, particularly those that supplied the Confederate army with food and other necessities. Not only did he hope to weaken the Confederate army, but he intended to break the will of the people to continue the war. Sherman began his march the next day, November 15.

The march

With a total of 62,000 men, Sherman spread his army out into two vast columns over a width of sixty miles. They sustained themselves by taking what they needed or wanted, pillaging chickens, cows, vegetables, and horses and wagons. They destroyed the railroad system and burned down buildings as they advanced. Wherever they went, Sherman's army made sure that the horrors of war were known.

The Confederate troops were far outnumbered, and as a result Sherman's men were hardly challenged along the way. On December 10, after seizing four other cities, including the state capital of Milledgeville, Sherman arrived at Savannah and began a ten-day siege. His troops forced out the Confederate troops, and Union troops moved into Savannah on December 21.

Though Sherman's initial plan ended with taking Savannah, he decided to extend his campaign. After refitting his men with supplies, he began a march north into the Carolinas in much the same way. By late March 1865, Sherman was in the middle of North Carolina when he again faced the Confederate opposition of General Johnston. On April 9, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered much of the army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia. General Johnston followed Lee's example. On April 18, 1865, General Johnston signed an armistice with Sherman, ending the Civil War.