Gen. John P. Hatch from Hilton Head, hoping to assist Sherman's arrival near Savannah by securing the Charleston and Savannah Railroad. As Sherman advanced to the sea, Thomas' men destroyed Hood's army at the Battles of Franklin and Nashville. 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 army—burning 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. His vision of hard war brought the Confederacy to its knees, but forestalled thousands of battlefield and civilian deaths. On December 20, he led his men across the Savannah River on a makeshift pontoon bridge. During the remainder of November and in early December, numerous minor battles were fought, such as Buck Head Creek and Waynesboro, as Sherman's men pushed relentlessly on towards Savannah. [21] The Army wrecked 300 miles (480 km) of railroad and numerous bridges and miles of telegraph lines. Sherman himself estimated that the campaign had inflicted $100 million (about $1.6 billion in 2020 dollars)[22] in destruction, about one fifth of which "inured to our advantage" while the "remainder is simple waste and destruction". We are not only fighting armies, but a hostile people, and must make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war, as well as their organized armies. The following is an excerpt from the general's orders: ... IV. Sherman's "March to the Sea" followed his successful Atlanta Campaign of May to September 1864. 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. On December 17, he sent a message to Hardee in the city: I have already received guns that can cast heavy and destructive shot as far as the heart of your city; also, I have for some days held and controlled every avenue by which the people and garrison of Savannah can be supplied, and I am therefore justified in demanding the surrender of the city of Savannah, and its dependent forts, and shall wait a reasonable time for your answer, before opening with heavy ordnance. I know that this recent movement of mine through Georgia has had a wonderful effect in this respect. General Sherman on the "March to the Sea," 1865 | In the fall of 1864, Gen. James H. Wilson took command of Gen. William T. Sherman’s cavalry. Welch, Robert Christopher. Slightly more than 100 Union officers and men were killed and 430 were wounded. 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. On November 15, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman begins his … Fowler, John D. and David B. Parker, eds. For all of the ink written about Sherman and the way he burned, scorched and killed between Atlanta and Savannah, the monstrous event lasted only 22 days. Atlanta fell to Sherman's Army in early September 1864. Sherman's March to the Sea. Shows routes of cavalry and of 14th, 15th, 17th, and 20th army corps. Several small actions followed. [6] The twisted and broken railroad rails that the troops heated over fires and wrapped around tree trunks and left behind became known as "Sherman's neckties". To oppose Sherman's 62,000 men, Lieutenant General William J. Hardee, commanding the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida struggled to find men as Hood had largely stripped the region for his army. "Forage Liberally: The Role of Agriculture in Sherman's March to the Sea." VII. The army will forage liberally on the country during the march. ", Mark E. Neely Jr, "Was the Civil War a Total War?. 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. The following morning, the mayor of Savannah formally surrendered the city to Sherman. 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. Once in Savannah he would turn north through South and North Carolina and Read more about Shermans March to the Sea[…] Both U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and General Ulysses S. Grant had serious reservations about Sherman's plans. Former Southern Brigadier General Clement A. Evans asserted, for example, that there was no force available to obstruct Shermans soldiers. With the city secured, Sherman telegraphed President Abraham Lincoln with the message, "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton." Following an arduous trek of more than 100 miles against the resourceful resistance of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, Sherman succeeded in … Poe directly supervised the destruction of all buildings and structures in Atlanta that could be of any military value to the Confederates once Sherman abandoned the city. Gen. William H. Jackson, had approximately 10,000 troopers. Away off in the distance, on the McDonough road, was the rear of Howard's column, the gun-barrels glistening in the sun, the white-topped wagons stretching away to the south; and right before us the Fourteenth Corps, marching steadily and rapidly, with a cheery look and swinging pace, that made light of the thousand miles that lay between us and Richmond. On the 12th of November the railroad and telegraph communications with the rear were broken, and the army stood detached from all friends, dependent on its own resources and supplies. "[7] There were about 13,000 men remaining at Lovejoy's Station, south of Atlanta. During the Jim Crow Era, several writers[29][30][31] claimed that Sherman's March set a precedent for the total war waged during World War II. Relief shown by hachures. I suppose it will be safer if I leave General Grant and yourself to decide. General Grant arranged two campaigns for the year 1864. Presenting his plan to Grant, Sherman received approval and began making preparations to depart Atlanta on November 15, 1864. by Warfare History Network. 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. done with more spirit, or in better harmony of time and place. He destroyed much of the South's potential and psychology to wage war. On December 4, Kilpatrick's cavalry routed Wheeler's at the Battle of Waynesboro. The March. 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. In the wake of his successful campaign to capture Atlanta, Major General William T. Sherman began making plans for a march against Savannah. He captured Savannah, 285 miles (460 km) from Atlanta, on December 21. [16], From Savannah, after a month-long delay for rest, Sherman marched north in the spring through the Carolinas, intending to complete his turning movement and combine his armies with Grant's against Robert E. Lee. 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. [19] Some who welcomed him as a liberator chose to follow his armies. This campaign was under the leadership of Major General William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army. Confederate Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood was threatening Sherman's supply line from Chattanooga, and Sherman detached two armies under Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas to deal with Hood in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign. With Ross McElwee, Dede McElwee, Ross McElwee Jr., Patricia Rendleman. Rail depots, roundhouses, arsenals, and warehouses were torn down and the combustible materials then destroyed by controlled fires. [21], The March to the Sea was devastating to Georgia and the Confederacy. He also continued to supervise destruction of Confederate infrastructure. In this video, we ask how bad was it? "[10] The 300-mile (480 km) march began on November 15. Despite these reinforcements, he seldom possessed more than 13,000 men. December 17, he led his men across the Savannah River on 20. Cotton gins and mills mule '' promise of battlefield and civilian deaths bridge the! In Sherman 's plans ) from Atlanta, for which action he honored! Available to obstruct Shermans soldiers then two more and 50 prisoners at Bear Creek Station 10.5 million pounds of and! Destroyed hood 's army causes $ 100 million of damage `` the south never! Civilian deaths he served in this capacity past the fall of Atlanta, Georgia, then offered surrender... 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