He eliminated Atlanta's war making potential and brought sheer destruction to Georgia, then offered generous surrender terms. The March to the Sea, the most destructive campaign against a civilian population during the Civil War (1861-65), began in Atlanta on November 15, 1864, and concluded in Savannah on December 21, 1864. "[16], The Confederate opposition from Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee's Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida was meager. until 1864, the Confederacy had been winning the Civil War. Expert Answers. The two wings of the army attempted to confuse and deceive the enemy about their destinations; the Confederates could not tell from the initial movements whether Sherman would march on Macon, Augusta, or Savannah. Updated: October 4, 2018 | Original: February 22, 2010, From November 15 until December 21, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman led some 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. Soldiers dug up buried food, valuables and keepsakes, seemingly at will. During his imprisonment, Byers wrote a poem about the Savannah campaign which he titled "Sherman's March to the Sea", which was set to music by fellow prisoner W. O. Sherman's March to the Sea was one of the most stunning operations of the Civil War, yet few people outside of Georgia knew anything about it while it was underway. Geary telegraphed Sherman, who advised him to accept the offer. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! it was necessary to make the entire Confederate population, not just the military, feel the pain of war in order to defeat the rebellion. Sherman pursued the smaller Confederate army west and south until mid-October, when Hood crossed into Alabama. Elements of the decline in agriculture persisted through 1920".[38]. Shermans soldiers enthusiastically embraced his Special Field Order 120, which required every brigade to organize a foraging detachment under the direction of one of its more discreet officers with a goal of keeping a consistent three-day supply of gathered foodstuffs. Although his formal orders (excerpted below) specified control over destruction of infrastructure in areas in which his army was unmolested by guerrilla activity, he recognized that supplying an army through liberal foraging would have a destructive effect on the morale of the civilian population it encountered in its wide sweep through the state.[10]. Abilene, TX: McWhiney Foundation Press, 2005. [29] After a successful two-month campaign, Sherman accepted the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston and his forces in North Carolina on April 26, 1865.[30]. The only real combat of the March took place on November 22, near Griswoldville. At the Battle of Buck Head Creek on November 28, Kilpatrick was surprised and nearly captured, but the 5th Ohio Cavalry halted Wheeler's advance, and Wheeler was later stopped decisively by Union barricades at Reynolds's Plantation. Joe Brown, Hardee and militia commander Smith among them all fell for the ruse. Not realizing that these Federals had repeating rifles and were dug in, temporary commander Phillips ordered his motley force to attack, and they were ripped to pieces by the Federals. (The 10,000 Confederates who were supposed to be guarding it had already fled.) On the morning of November 16, Sherman set out for the coast at the head of roughly 62,000 men. March to the Sea. Howard's infantry marched through Jonesboro to Gordon, southwest of the state capital, Milledgeville. In the hearts of Georgians, Sherman left behind a smoldering resentment of the North that persisted well into the 20th century. On November 10, following Shermans orders, Union troops began torching buildings that were of military or industrial value in Atlanta. Sherman recounted in his memoirs the scene when he left at 7 am the following day: We rode out of Atlanta by the Decatur road, filled by the marching troops and wagons of the Fourteenth Corps; and reaching the hill, just outside of the old rebel works, we naturally paused to look back upon the scenes of our past battles. Kilpatrick slipped by the defensive line that Wheeler had placed near Brier Creek, but on the night of November 26 Wheeler attacked and drove the 8th Indiana and 2nd Kentucky Cavalry away from their camps at Sylvan Grove. To this end, each brigade commander will organize a good and sufficient foraging party, under the command of one or more discreet officers, who will gather, near the route traveled, corn or forage of any kind, meat of any kind, vegetables, corn-meal, or whatever is needed by the command, aiming at all times to keep in the wagons at least ten days' provisions for the command and three days' forage. How did Shermans March to the Sea conclude? Atlanta smoldered in his rear. On November 2526 at Sandersville, Wheeler struck at Slocum's advance guard. He seemed to be everywhere at once, and as he grew ever-larger in the Southern imagination, rumors about where he was and what he did to white women and slaves came to be accepted as fact. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. North Carolina suffered less because it was not viewed as responsible for the rebellion, as South Carolina was. In theyears afterthe Civil War, fighting forces around the world have made use of Shermans total war strategy. Sherman's army marched 285 miles (458 km . Sherman's . Operating under varying degrees of supervision, their exploits formed the foundation of Shermans lasting reputation. Following Shermans demand to surrender Savannah, the citys Confederate defenders retreated to Confederate-held South Carolina. Infrastructure. Between 17,000 and 25,000 enslaved Black people were freed while on the march, including more than 7,500 in and around Savannah. Soldiers must not enter the dwellings of the inhabitants, or commit any trespass, but during a halt or a camp they may be permitted to gather turnips, apples, and other vegetables, and to drive in stock in sight of their camp. More seriously, the soldiers damaged state buildings and destroyed books and manuscripts before leaving Milledgeville on November 24. He had a lot more soldiers than General Hood who only had 51,000. The first real resistance was felt by Howard's right wing at the Battle of Griswoldville on November 22. Atlanta Campaign. Atlanta: After the Civil War. Arnold presented him with the key to the city, and Sherman's men, led by Geary's division of the XX Corps, occupied the city the same day. And even in this Union army of liberation, the racism of the age was still prevalent throughout the ranks. Hundreds of African Americans drowned trying to cross in Ebenezer Creek north of Savannah while attempting to follow Sherman's Army in its March to the Sea. Sherman's next major action was the capture of Columbia, the strategically important capital of South Carolina. The . He and the Union Army's commander, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, believed that the Civil War would come to an end only if the Confederacy's strategic capacity for warfare could be decisively broken. In 1864 William Tecumseh Sherman headed the Atlanta Campaign, an important series of battles in Georgia that eventually cut off a main Confederate supply centre. Black and white pioneers cleared the path ahead, with Sherman himself sometimes joining in the physical labor. Confederacy's economy and transportation networks, Western Theater of the American Civil War, "Savannah Campaign Union order of battle", "Effective strength of the army in the field under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, November and December, 1864", "Abstract from return of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, Lieut. In the summer of 1864, during the U.S. Civil War (1861-65), Union General William T. Sherman faced off against Confederate . In short, the March to the Sea demonstrates not that Sherman was a brute, but that he wanted to wage a war that did not result in countless deaths. The ensuing campaign and siege occupied most of the summer, with Sherman finally forcing a surrender on September 2. Politicians hurried to escape the city, and its civilian inhabitants were infuriated when Shermans men celebrated Thanksgiving there and mockingly re-enacted a legislative session to vote Georgia back into the Union. Several small actions followed. [14], This was the process by which the 62,000 men (55,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 2,000 artillerymen manning 64 guns) Sherman commanded were assembled, and would leave Atlanta for Savannah. Sherman gave explicit instructions to his troops regarding their conduct while on the march. [19] Still, Grant trusted Sherman's assessment and on November 2, 1864, he sent Sherman a telegram stating simply, "Go as you propose. The Union soldiers were just as unsparing. An army of individuals trained in the school of experience to look after their own food and health, to march far and fast with the least fatigue, to fight with the least exposure, above all, to act swiftly and to work thoroughly. The staffs of the various headquarters were ruthlessly restricted, and much clerical work was done by permanent offices in the rear. His scorched-earth tactics changed the history of warfare and are still studied and taught in military institutions . Each regiment had one wagon and one ambulance, and each company had one pack mule for the baggage of its officers; the number of tents carried was curtailed. Whereas more than 6,500,000 women in the United States are living with endometriosis; Whereas endometriosis is a chronic disease that can be painful and debilitating and affects And taking the work of General Thomas into the count, as it should be taken, it is indeed a great success. Historians consider the march and the psychological warfare it waged to be an early example of total war. This freed all his troops for the upcoming movement, rather than relegating a significant number for logistical duty, but this meant that the men would need to live off the land. From Atlanta, Sherman would set out across the Southern heartland toward the Atlantic Ocean, eventually turning north to pin Robert E. Lees army between his troops and those of Grant. Sherman had his favorite regimental band present a concert for the city and brought supply ships from the North to help the city and its people regain a sense of normality. The portion of this march through South Carolina was even more destructive than the Savannah campaign, since Sherman and his men harbored much ill-will for that state's part in bringing on the start of the Civil War; the following portion, through North Carolina, was less so. The most significant reason for General Sherman's explanation of hard war in the excerpt was that. Foragers, known as "bummers," would provide food seized from local farms for the army while they destroyed the railroads and the manufacturing and agricultural infrastructure of Georgia. Smith's 1,500 Georgia militiamen, 3 miles (4.8km) south of Grahamville Station, South Carolina. [6], When Byers was freed by the Union Capture of Columbia, he approached General Sherman and handed him a scrap of paper. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant conferred with his generals in order to devise a strategy to bring the Confederate war machine to its knees. Please make my grateful acknowledgments to your whole army, officers and men. Dozens drowned, and Wheeler captured many of those who lived. Byers was a Union prisoner of war held at Camp Sorghum, near Columbia, South Carolina. Foraging parties may also take mules or horses to replace the jaded animals of their trains, or to serve as pack-mules for the regiments or brigades. To that end, Shermans troops marched south toward Savannah in two wings, about 30 miles apart. To regular foraging parties must be intrusted the gathering of provisions and forage at any distance from the road traveled. On November 24 several Union prisoners of war caught up with the left wing, having escaped a Confederate camp at Andersonville. Shermans March to the Sea spanned some 285 miles (459 km) over 37 days. No doubt many acts of pillage, robbery, and violence were committed by these parties of foragers , Sherman acknowledged, but maintained that their crimes were generally against property, not individuals. Hardee had long since retreated to the coastal city and toiled away at its fortifications, which were effective at supplementing Savannahs natural marsh and river defenses. [45] Some historians refer to Sherman's tactics as "hard war" to emphasize the distinction between Sherman's tactics and those used during World War II.[46][47]. With the Georgia state legislature having quit the capital, Union troops held a mock legislative session and voted to repeal Georgias ordinance of secession. Slocum's wing, accompanied by Sherman, moved to the east, in the direction of Augusta. Sherman's personal escort on the march was the 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment, a unit made up entirely of Southerners who remained loyal to the Union. To the north of this action, Sherman advanced with the left wing into Milledgeville on November 23. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. [39] It was widely popular among US soldiers of 20th-century wars. Gen. Charles C. Walcutt arrived to stabilize the defense, and the division of Georgia militia launched several hours of badly coordinated attacks, eventually retreating with about 1,100 casualties (of which about 600 were prisoners), versus the Union's 100. Please select which sections you would like to print: Myles Hudson was an Editorial Intern at Encyclopdia Britannica. But Sherman prevailed upon his commanding officer, who, in turn, convinced the president. "[37], According to a 2022 American Economic Journal study which sought to measure the medium- and long-term economic impact of Sherman's March, "the capital destruction induced by the March led to a large contraction in agricultural investment, farming asset prices, and manufacturing activity. The full story, however, is not this simple. William Tecumseh Sherman's early military career was a near disaster, having to be temporarily relieved of command. Recognizing the significance of endometriosis as an unmet chronic disease for women and designating March 2023 as "Endometriosis Awareness Month". While the local high society turned its nose up at the Union Army, refusing to be seen at social events with Union officers present, Sherman was ironically focused on protecting them. Grant himself said that he would not have allowed anyone other than Sherman to attempt such a march so great was the respect and trust between the two. 40 Charles Royster's The Destructive War looks at the March's increasing violence through the figure of . Many, many thanks for your Christmas gift, the capture of Savannah. On September 29 Hood set out again, this time with the goal of cutting off Shermans supply lines along the Western & Atlantic Railroad in northern Georgia. They searched hollow logs and any hiding place imaginable. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. The 360-mile march extended from Atlanta in central . Sherman came to dislike the song, in part because he was never one to rejoice over a fallen foe, and in part because it was played at almost every public appearance that he attended. Railroad tracks were upended and destroyed. Should you entertain the proposition, I am prepared to grant liberal terms to the inhabitants and garrison; but should I be forced to resort to assault, or the slower and surer process of starvation, I shall then feel justified in resorting to the harshest measures, and shall make little effort to restrain my armyburning to avenge the national wrong which they attach to Savannah and other large cities which have been so prominent in dragging our country into civil war. Until we can repopulate Georgia it is useless to occupy it, but the utter destruction of its roads, houses, and people will cripple their military resources. Most Union soldiers complied with Shermans orders. 120 had permitted Black labourers to accompany the column, despite being a potential drain on resources and slowing the armys pace. [26], The Army's stay in Savannah was generally without incident. Columbus: Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, 1943. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. As soon as the mayor of Savannah surrendered his city, Sherman the fiend became Sherman the friend. To Confederate bewilderment, he bypassed Augusta and entered Confederate politician and brigadier general Howell Cobbs plantation some 10 miles outside Milledgeville, his true destination. Stay up-to-date on our FREE educational resources & professional development opportunities, all designed to support your work teaching American history. More Union troops entered the campaign from an unlikely direction. But as the last unit of Daviss rear guard, the 58th Indiana, reached the far side, the bridge was unlashed. The March to the Sea, which occurred over a six week period in November and December of 1864, is considered the most damaging action against civilian people in the Civil War of 1861 to 1865.The objective of Sherman's March to the Sea was to instil fear in the civilian population of Georgia to abandon the cause of the Confederacy. Gen. W.J. Confederate leadership was unable to discern the final destination of the two-pronged Union force. It was also a symbol of Confederate pride and strength, and its fall made even the most loyal Southerners doubt that they could win the war. In the wake of his successful campaign to capture Atlanta, Major General William T. Sherman began making plans for a march against Savannah. Confederate Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood was threatening Chattanooga, and Sherman detached two armies under Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas to deal with Hood in the FranklinNashville campaign. On it was Byers' poem. Marszalek, John F. Sherman's March to the Sea. In these later conflicts, largely through the use of air power, Americans attempted to destroy enemy will and logistics (a doctrine colloquially known as shock and awe in Operation Iraqi Freedom). He had become familiar with Grant while researching his well-received Our FREE Virtual Teacher Institute is the can't miss online educator event of the summer. V. To army corps commanders alone is intrusted the power to destroy mills, houses, cotton-gins, &c., and for them this general principle is laid down: In districts and neighborhoods where the army is unmolested no destruction of such property should be permitted; but should guerrillas or bushwhackers molest our march, or should the inhabitants burn bridges, obstruct roads, or otherwise manifest local hostility, then army commanders should order and enforce a devastation more or less relentless according to the measure of such hostility. Hardee decided not to surrender but to escape. Iowa State University thesis, 2011. All Rights Reserved. Rhodes, James Ford. [1] Thomas would go on to defeat Hood, leaving Sherman's main army effectively unopposed. Certainly, Sherman practiced destructive war, but he did not do it out of personal cruelty. They raided farms and plantations, stealing and slaughtering cows, chickens, turkeys, sheep and hogs and taking as much other foodespecially bread and potatoesas they could carry. In fact, South Carolina suffered more at Shermans hands than Georgia had during the March to the Sea. Shermans true objective, hidden from even his own rank and file, was to seize the state capital of Milledgeville. After the war, Cox applies those same attributes to his books, Sherman's Battle for Atlanta and Sherman's March to the Sea, two volumes in the landmark series Campaigns of the Civil War. While Howard's wing was delayed near Ball's Bluff, the 1st Alabama Cavalry (a Federal regiment) engaged Confederate pickets. Although he personally considered them inferior to white men, Sherman treated the blacks he met with courtesies not widespread in the 19th century, shaking hands and carrying on conversations to glean their knowledge of the area. While many blacks became laborers and performed tasks necessary to the advance, others simply followed in the wake of the column. Sherman successfully fought a psychological war of destruction. Maj. Gen. Gustavus W. Smith's Georgia militia had about 3,050 soldiers, most of whom were boys and elderly men. The city was hardly burned to the ground, as Gone with the Wind implies. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. By the following day, soldiers were setting unauthorized fires, and the flames spread to business and residential districts. His focus on crushing civilian morale presaged the bloody World Wars of the 20th century. Wheelers horsemen descended on the Federal column at Sandersonville on November 2526, and on November 28 they sprang an attack on Kilpatricks Union cavalry at Buckhead Creek. Considering Sherman's military priorities, however, this tactical maneuver by his enemy to get out of his force's path was welcomed to the point of remarking, "If he will go to the Ohio River, I'll give him rations. Smith's militia fought off the Union attacks, and Hatch withdrew after suffering about 650 casualties, versus Smith's 50. Sherman moved against Hood on October 5. He saw destruction of property as less onerous than casualties. The violence abated only after Sherman threatened to shoot an equal number of his own captives. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shermans-March-to-the-Sea, Warfare History Network - Shermans March to the Sea, New Georgia Encyclopedia - Shermans March to the Sea, scorched-earth policy during the Atlanta Campaign, American Civil War: western and Carolina campaigns, American Civil War: Union soldiers wrecking railroads in Atlanta. Whether it was a plantation manor, a more modest white dwelling or a slave hut, any residence encountered by these bummers stood a chance of being utterly ransacked. "[24] On December 26, the president replied in a letter:[25]. His primary objective was to capture and neutralize the city of Atlanta, which was a major railroad centre, supply depot, and manufacturing hub for both Georgia and the Confederacy. Sometimes the slaves would volunteer information, and other times the foragers would force it out of them. The cavalry captured two Confederate guns at Lovejoy's Station, and then two more and 50 prisoners at Bear Creek Station. Walters, John Bennett (1948) "General William T. Sherman and Total War". Despite an overwhelming numerical advantage, the Confederate militiamen were thoroughly squashed, suffering more than 1,000 casualties to fewer than 100 for the Union. After seizing Atlanta, Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman embarked on a scorched-earth campaign intended to cripple the Souths war-making capacity and wound the Confederate psyche. In South Carolina Sherman waged a new scorched-earth campaign with a vengeance reserved for the first state to have seceded from the Union. Shermans army reached the sea, took Fort McAllister and re-tied itself to a naval supply line. Sherman himself estimated that the campaign had inflicted $100million (equivalent to $874million in 2021) in destruction, about one fifth of which "inured to our advantage" while the "remainder is simple waste and destruction". The March to the Sea played psychological warfare in which . Sherman remained in Atlanta for a little over a month. After the shooting had stopped, the Union troops discovered, to their horror, that their attackers had been old men and young boys and wondered at the futility of the Confederate cause. After capturing Atlanta in September 1864, General Sherman decided to use a different tactic to bring the South to its knees and . Sherman's March to Sea. Howard's wing, led by Kilpatrick's cavalry, marched south along the railroad to Lovejoy's Station, which caused the defenders there to conduct a fighting retreat to Macon. Daviss men lagged behind the rest of the left wing, and Wheelers cavalry was hot on their heels. New York, NY: New York University Press, 1985. His forces followed a "scorched earth" policy, destroying military targets as well as industry, infrastructure, and civilian property, disrupting the Confederacy's economy and transportation networks. During this time he ordered the evacuation of some 3,000 civilians and seized their homes for his soldiers living quarters. In November 1864, he departed Atlanta with 60,000 troops, bound for the coastal port . The March to the Sea was no off-the-cuff reaction by Sherman to finding himself in Atlanta in September 1864 and knowing he could not remain there. Sherman was charged with three armies totaling some 100,000 men: the Army of the Cumberland, the Army of the Tennessee, and the Army of the Ohio. Many scholars of military history contend that his psychological warfare was one of the first modern examples of total war. It is estimated that during the six-week March to the Sea fewer than 3,000 casualties resulted. Sherman was blocked from linking up with the U.S. Navy as he had planned, so he dispatched cavalry to Fort McAllister, guarding the Ogeechee River, in hopes of unblocking his route and obtaining supplies awaiting him on the Navy ships. Sherman demanded a surrender on December 17, but his request was promptly rejected. He wanted to convey that southerners controlled their own fate through a duality of approach: as long as they remained in rebellion, they would suffer at his hands, once they surrendered, he would display remarkable largess. Their target was the second-largest city in the South: Atlanta, Georgia. The March attracted a huge number of refugees, to whom Sherman assigned land with his Special Field Orders No. Sung from the point of view of a Union soldier, the lyrics detail the freeing of slaves and punishing the Confederacy for starting the war.

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