It is estimated that during the six-week March to the Sea fewer than 3,000 casualties resulted. 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. Historian Barrett assesses that Sherman could have stopped Hardee, but failed to because he was hesitant to overcommit his forces. Dozens drowned, and Wheeler captured many of those who lived. In preparation, he moved the few people remaining in the city about 10 percent of its 20,000-person population in early 1864 out of the area, and cut his supply line. Elements of the decline in agriculture persisted through 1920".[38]. Sherman successfully fought a psychological war of destruction. It was just such a conflict of interest that caused one of the most horrific events of the campaign. Sherman further arranged for 50,000 bushels of captured rice to be sold in the North to raise money to feed Savannah. Not only does it afford the obvious and immediate military advantages, but, in showing to the world that your army could be divided, putting the stronger part to an important new service, and yet leaving enough to vanquish the old opposing force of the whole Hoods army it brings those who sat in darkness to see a great light. He now dispatched the IV and XXIII Corps to Chattanooga, located along the railroad to Nashville. 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. 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). 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. Daviss men lagged behind the rest of the left wing, and Wheelers cavalry was hot on their heels. In the fall of 1864, the Union General William Tecumseh ("Cump") Sherman took 60,000 men and pillaged his way through Georgia's civilian farmsteads. Abraham Lincoln: I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton.. In Special Field Order No. Sherman was reluctant to set off on a wild goose chase across the South, however, and so he split his troops into two groups. Almost miraculously, damage and destruction immediately ceased. Many troops who heard of their arrival retaliated by burning civilian barns and slaughtering their livestock. 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. Sherman wanted to keep his movements as secret as possible; he cut telegraph lines to prevent intelligence reports from reaching the enemy (or his superiors in Washington). "Sherman's March to the Sea". They often felt betrayed, as they "suffered along with their owners, complicating their decision of whether to flee with or from Union troops", although that is now seen as a post synopsis of Confederate nationalism. Union troops arrived outside the fort on December 13. Through this March to the Sea, Sherman hoped to deny Georgias resources to the Confederacy. The Union soldiers were just as unsparing. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Getty Images / Print Collector / Contributor, https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/shermans-march. This had significant ramifications across their remaining military operations. Welch, Robert Christopher. He eliminated Atlanta's war making potential and brought sheer destruction to Georgia, then offered generous surrender terms. 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. 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]. The March to the Sea played psychological warfare in which . Although beef cattle trudged along with his army, and he had his men fill their haversacks with food before they left, he knew that they could live off the Georgia land. On November 24 several Union prisoners of war caught up with the left wing, having escaped a Confederate camp at Andersonville. He organized relief for the flood of refugees that had inundated the city. Soldiers became model gentlemen, no longer foraging, but paying for what they wanted or needed. 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. On December 24th, Sherman then presented the Savannah to President Lincoln as a Christmas present. As one Georgia woman wrote in her diary: like Demons they rush in! Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee commanded the undermanned Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and Maj. Gen. Gustavus W. Smith led the small Georgia state militia. 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. When you were about leaving Atlanta for the Atlantic coast, I was anxious, if not fearful; but feeling that you were the better judge, and remembering that 'nothing risked, nothing gained,' I did not interfere. "Forage Liberally: The Role of Agriculture in Sherman's March to the Sea." 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. Iowa State University thesis, 2011. The second objective of the campaign was more traditional. The Cavalry Corps of Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler, reinforced by a brigade under Brig. The 360-mile march extended from Atlanta in central . In 2011 a historical marker was erected there by the Georgia Historical Society to commemorate the African Americans who had risked so much for freedom. Slocum's wing, accompanied by Sherman, moved to the east, in the direction of Augusta. A Buffalo, N.Y., native and a Ph.D. from Notre Dame, John F. Marszalek taught for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2002. Subscribe to the American Battlefield Trust's quarterly email series of curated stories for the curious-minded sort! To this day, many believe that Sherman did not bring any supplies with . Sherman's March to the Sea With the full support of both Lincoln and Grant, Sherman devised an unusual plan. Following the March to the Sea, Sherman's army headed north for the Carolinas Campaign. 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. Brig. The only real combat of the March took place on November 22, near Griswoldville. With the Georgia state legislature having quit the capital, Union troops held a mock legislative session and voted to repeal Georgias ordinance of secession. The mayor of Savannah formally surrendered the city on December 21, 1864. Just before pivoting east past Macon, Howards right wing came upon the industrial town of Griswoldville. Every purchase supports the mission. No matter Sherman kept marching. Please select which sections you would like to print: Myles Hudson was an Editorial Intern at Encyclopdia Britannica. Howard's infantry marched through Jonesboro to Gordon, southwest of the state capital, Milledgeville. [4] Sherman's decision to operate deep within enemy territory without supply lines was unusual for its time, and the campaign is regarded by some historians as an early example of modern warfare or total war. Know about the significance and outcome of the Atlanta Campaign. Thousands who had been deceived by their lying papers into the belief that we were being whipped all the time, realized the truth, and have no appetite for a repetition of the same experience. To regular foraging parties must be intrusted the gathering of provisions and forage at any distance from the road traveled. 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. Uncle Billy, I guess Grant is waiting for us in Richmond? was a common sentiment along the march. I can make the march and make Georgia howl. The general himself was a model of deportment. 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. A little more slaughter. Sherman's march to the sea definition at Dictionary.com, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. March to the Sea. Shermans troops arrived in Savannah on December 21, 1864, about three weeks after they left Atlanta. 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. 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. 120, regarding the conduct of the campaign. Background. This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 20:17. On November 22, 3,500 Confederate cavalry started a skirmish with the Union soldiers at Griswoldville, but that ended so badly650 Confederate soldiers were killed or wounded, compared to 62 Yankee casualtiesthat Southern troops initiated no more battles. However, news of brutal prisoner treatment at Camp Lawton would later prompt Sherman to order the destruction of several miles of track along the Augusta & Savannah Railroad. Facts, information and articles about Sherman's March To The Sea during the Civil War. 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. Gen. William J. Hardee initially assumed that its goal was to capture Macon. Prior to his famous march to the sea, General Sherman led 100,000 men into the southern city of Atlanta. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! [19] Still, Grant trusted Sherman's assessment and on November 2, 1864, he sent Sherman a telegram stating simply, "Go as you propose. Instead, they fled South ahead of Shermans troops, wreaking their own havoc as they went: They wrecked bridges, chopped down trees and burned barns filled with provisions before the Union army could reach them. Join us online July 24-26! The purpose of Shermans March to the Sea was to frighten Georgias civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause. After they lost Atlanta, the Confederate army headed west into Tennessee and Alabama, attacking Union supply lines as they went. Slavery. While many blacks became laborers and performed tasks necessary to the advance, others simply followed in the wake of the column. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. Factories, farms and railroads provided Confederate troops with the things they needed, he reasoned; and if he could destroy those things, the Confederate war effort would collapse. Did you know? 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. As soon as the mayor of Savannah surrendered his city, Sherman the fiend became Sherman the friend. We strive for accuracy and fairness. The Strategic Significance of Sherman's March to the Sea. The approach was backbreaking, but simple: rails were torn from the ties, which were stacked to make a bonfire beneath them. 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. "[24] On December 26, the president replied in a letter:[25]. [33] A Confederate officer estimated that 10,000 liberated slaves followed Sherman's army, and hundreds died of "hunger, disease, or exposure" along the way. The name immediately conjures visions of fire and smoke, destruction and desolation; Atlanta in flames, farms laid to waste and railroad tracks mangled beyond recognition. Union general William T. Sherman abandoned his supply line and marched across Georgia to the Atlantic Ocean to prove to the Confederate . On December 4, Kilpatrick's cavalry routed Wheeler's at the Battle of Waynesboro. Gen. William H. Jackson, had approximately 10,000 troopers. The arrival of the main columns was even more frightening to the Georgians in their path than the passage of the foragers. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [1] Thomas would go on to defeat Hood, leaving Sherman's main army effectively unopposed. General Sherman finally gained control of the city of Atlanta on September 2, 1864. [41] In the years following World War II, several writers[42][43][44] argued that the total war tactics used during World War II were comparable to the tactics used during Sherman's March. Just 25 miles (40 km) north of Savannah, Daviss men were crossing a bloated Ebenezer Creek when they were ordered to destroy their bridge. [9] Sherman therefore planned an operation that has been compared to the modern principles of scorched earth warfare. He sought to utilize destructive war to convince Confederate citizens in their deepest psyche both that they could not win the war and that their government could not protect them from Federal forces. His armies sustained more than 1,300 casualties, with the Confederacy suffering roughly 2,300. In all foraging, of whatever kind, the parties engaged will refrain from abusive or threatening language, and may, where the officer in command thinks proper, give written certificates of the facts, but no receipts, and they will endeavor to leave with each family a reasonable portion for their maintenance. Fowler, John D. and David B. Parker, eds. The death count on November 15, 1864 stood at around 12,100. 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. When Sherman instituted his destructive war, he told Southerners that as long as they continued their resistance, he would make them pay dearly, but that the process would stop when they quit the fight. Pleasant J. Phillips, came upon part of Shermans rear guard of some 1,700 men. Geary telegraphed Sherman, who advised him to accept the offer. As the marching Federals progressed, they attracted a growing throng of ex-slaves, who greeted them as emancipators. Sherman demanded a surrender on December 17, but his request was promptly rejected. 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. 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. 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. The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields, Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Phase Three of Gaines Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign, An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield. He saw destruction of property as less onerous than casualties. Compared to the 51,000 killed, wounded and missing at Gettysburg in the three days of fighting there or the 24,000 in the two days at Shiloh, the month-long March to the Sea was nearly bloodless. Sherman's March to the Sea (also known as the Savannah campaign or simply Sherman's March) was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by William Tecumseh Sherman, major general of the Union Army.The campaign began on November 15 with Sherman's troops leaving Atlanta, recently taken by Union forces, and ended with the . The full story, however, is not this simple. On January 16, 1865, during the Civil War (1861-65), Union general William T. Sherman issued his Special Field Order No. 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. Following the March took place on November 15, 1864 less onerous significance of sherman's march to the sea casualties to Macon. 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