significance of sherman's march to the seasignificance of sherman's march to the sea

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. The March to the Sea, which culminated with the fall of Savannah in December 1864, cut a swath of torn-up railroads, pillaged farms and burned-out plantations through the Georgia countryside . 120 (series 1864) were military orders issued during the American Civil War, on November 9, 1864, by Major General William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army. Doctors performed in-depth examinations to weed out the weak and those suffering from disease, and because of this 1% of the men were left behind. By the following day, soldiers were setting unauthorized fires, and the flames spread to business and residential districts. Fowler, John D. and David B. Parker, eds. until 1864, the Confederacy had been winning the Civil War. (Since Atlanta, South Carolinian Mary Boykin Chestnut wrote in her diary, I have felt as ifwe are going to be wiped off the earth.). Atlanta Campaign. [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]. 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. Gen. William H. Jackson, had approximately 10,000 troopers. The second objective of the campaign was more traditional. As the marching Federals progressed, they attracted a growing throng of ex-slaves, who greeted them as emancipators. By encroaching into the rear of Lee's positions, Sherman could increase pressure on Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and keep Confederate reinforcements from reaching him. [40], There has been disagreement among historians on whether Sherman's March constituted total war. And even in this Union army of liberation, the racism of the age was still prevalent throughout the ranks. In April, the Confederacy surrendered and the war was over. This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 20:17. In the fall of 1864 during the American Civil War, Union forces pushed deeply into the Confederacy. 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. Where did Shermans March to the Sea start and end? Some of the 134 Union casualties were caused by torpedoes, a name for crude land mines that were used only rarely in the war. Union military campaign led by William T. Sherman from November 15-December 25, 1864 with Savannah being the ultimate objective; more importantly Sherman used a "scorched earth" policy to end the South's will to fight. [5], The March to the Sea owes its common name to a poem written by S. H. M. Byers in late 1864. After seizing Atlanta, Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman embarked on a scorched-earth campaign intended to cripple the South's war-making capacity and wound the Confederate psyche. Two weeks after this incident, and 20 miles removed, the march ended in Savannah. The campaign was designed by Grant and Sherman to be similar to Grant's innovative and successful Vicksburg campaign and Sherman's Meridian campaign, in that Sherman's armies would reduce their need for traditional supply lines by "living off the land" after consuming their 20 days of rations. The staffs of the various headquarters were ruthlessly restricted, and much clerical work was done by permanent offices in the rear. Sherman's . As one Georgia woman wrote in her diary: like Demons they rush in! Hoods new strategy was to recoup before striking north at Union-occupied Nashville, Tennessee. "[20] The 300-mile (480km) march began on November 15. On January 16, 1865, during the Civil War (1861-65), Union general William T. Sherman issued his Special Field Order No. On November 2526 at Sandersville, Wheeler struck at Slocum's advance guard. Rockwell. Neeley, Mark E., Jr. (1991) "Was the Civil War a Total War?". 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. Sherman remained in Atlanta for a little over a month. Those prisoners in the state jail willing to take up arms for the Confederacy 175 out of 200 were freed, although some of the newly liberated men burned down the penitentiary rather than report for duty. Slaves' opinions varied concerning the actions of Sherman and his army. Kilpatrick was ordered to make a feint toward Augusta before destroying the railroad bridge at Brier Creek and moving to liberate the Camp Lawton prisoner of war camp at Millen. On December 4, Kilpatrick's cavalry routed Wheeler's at the Battle of Waynesboro. Although clearly headed eastward, Sherman was determined to conceal his movements from Confederate eyes. On December 21 Savannahs mayor formally surrendered the city to the Union. 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. The pacification of Georgia cut the Confederacy in half and denied the insurgent states much of their former industrial and agricultural capacity. Sherman allowed Hardees army to escape the city, although he could have crushed it. However, if antagonized by Confederate soldiers, Union officers could destroy private and industrial property. During the march, between 17,000 and 25,000 enslaved Black people were freed. On October 9, while still chasing Hood, he had sent the following in a telegram to Grant: I propose we break up the railroad from Chattanooga, and strike out with wagons for Milledgeville, Millen, and Savannah. [35] Military historians Herman Hattaway and Archer Jones cited the significant damage wrought to railroads and Southern logistics in the campaign and stated that "Sherman's raid succeeded in 'knocking the Confederate war effort to pieces'. As the main columns had been marching all day, organized soldiers and others fanned out in all directions, looking for food and booty. [39] It was widely popular among US soldiers of 20th-century wars. Shermans March to the Sea, coupled with his Atlanta Campaign, may have tipped the scales of victory toward the Union in the Civil War. By December 12 Shermans force had neared Savannahs outer defenses. Railroad tracks were upended and destroyed. The March to the Sea played psychological warfare in which . To this day, many believe that Sherman did not bring any supplies with . The man leading the . With the Georgia state legislature having quit the capital, Union troops held a mock legislative session and voted to repeal Georgias ordinance of secession. In a November 6 telegram to Grant, he had argued that to every onlooker, the destruction of Georgias economic and industrial potential would be proof positive that the North can prevail in this contest, leaving only open the question of its willingness to use that power. Far more than a mere display of brute force, Shermans wager would prove to be equal parts political and psychological. However, a turn eastward convinced him that Augusta was the target. New York, NY: New York University Press, 1985. There was no lunch stop; instead, the men ate whenever and whatever they could. Very quickly, these foragers came to be called bummers, and it was they who did the most damage to the countryside and provided the most food for the troops. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. In South Carolina Sherman waged a new scorched-earth campaign with a vengeance reserved for the first state to have seceded from the Union. Corrections? Confederate leadership was unable to discern the final destination of the two-pronged Union force. The purpose of Shermans March to the Sea was to frighten Georgias civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause. The two cavalry units clashed again at nearby Waynesboro on December 4. That very day an additional 500 were transferred to Savannah lowering the prison's population even further. Sherman's March to the Sea refers to a long stretch of devastating Union army movements that took place during the United States Civil War. More seriously, the soldiers damaged state buildings and destroyed books and manuscripts before leaving Milledgeville on November 24. Sherman's March To The Sea summary: Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman taking place from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864. which followed the successful Atlanta . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. He saw destruction of property as less onerous than casualties. Sherman, reading the paper later in the day, was moved by Byers' poem, and promoted Byers to his staff; the two became lifelong friends. Expert Answers. 120, regarding the conduct of the campaign. In the spring of 1864, Union Lieut. In the wake of his successful campaign to capture Atlanta, Major General William T. Sherman began making plans for a march against Savannah. Atlanta smoldered in his rear. Their fates remain largely unknown. Shermans army had now been marching for a week. Abilene, TX: McWhiney Foundation Press, 2005. 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. The capital city panicked. 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. Slavery. Almost miraculously, damage and destruction immediately ceased. In Special Field Order No. 15, which confiscated as Union property a strip of coastline stretching from Charleston, South Carolina, to the St. John's River in Florida, including Georgia's Sea Islands and the mainland thirty miles in from the coast. Acting as the rear guard for the army, on December 9, 1864, Federals under the command of Maj. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis were crossing the flooded Ebenezer Creek on a pontoon bridge. 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. 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