The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 56,000 acres in 25 states! Shermans army had now been marching for a week. Smith's militia fought off the Union attacks, and Hatch withdrew after suffering about 650 casualties, versus Smith's 50. Letter, Sherman to Henry W. Halleck, December 24, 1864. William Tecumseh Sherman's early military career was a near disaster, having to be temporarily relieved of command. Hardee decided not to surrender but to escape. Between 17,000 and 25,000 enslaved Black people were freed while on the march, including more than 7,500 in and around Savannah. Dozens drowned, and Wheeler captured many of those who lived. [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]. 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. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. On it was Byers' poem. Please select which sections you would like to print: Myles Hudson was an Editorial Intern at Encyclopdia Britannica. The mayor of Savannah formally surrendered the city on December 21, 1864. On December 4, Kilpatrick's cavalry routed Wheeler's at the Battle of Waynesboro. His armies sustained more than 1,300 casualties, with the Confederacy suffering roughly 2,300. On December 24th, Sherman then presented the Savannah to President Lincoln as a Christmas present. 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]. On January 16, 1865, during the Civil War (1861-65), Union general William T. Sherman issued his Special Field Order No. He had a lot more soldiers than General Hood who only had 51,000. To this day, many believe that Sherman did not bring any supplies with . The cavalry captured two Confederate guns at Lovejoy's Station, and then two more and 50 prisoners at Bear Creek Station. The full story, however, is not this simple. Although bummers engaged in prohibited activity, the overall psychological impact on the local population was precisely the purpose of the march. It is estimated that during the six-week March to the Sea fewer than 3,000 casualties resulted. When Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered at Durham Station, N.C., in April 1865, Sherman offered a peace plan lenient enough that it caused many in the North to question his loyalty. Soldiers dug up buried food, valuables and keepsakes, seemingly at will. Gen. Kilpatrick's, killing one, wounding two and capturing 18. Some economists have measured residual agricultural effects lasting through 1920. For this reason, he divided his expeditionary force into two infantry groups. In South Carolina Sherman waged a new scorched-earth campaign with a vengeance reserved for the first state to have seceded from the Union. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick led the forces single cavalry division. William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea during the American Civil War. By ripping up and melting down tracks, Union soldiers slowly crippled the states industrial and military potential in full view of its civilians. Smith's 1,500 Georgia militiamen, 3 miles (4.8km) south of Grahamville Station, South Carolina. Hoods new strategy was to recoup before striking north at Union-occupied Nashville, Tennessee. Slocum's wing, accompanied by Sherman, moved to the east, in the direction of Augusta. The purpose of Shermans March to the Sea was to frighten Georgias civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause. With Kilpatrick as a mobile screen, Howard took the right wing southeast of Atlanta in the direction of Macon, while Slocums left wing marched east toward Augusta. He saw destruction of property as less onerous than casualties. At the same time, Slocum's left wing approached the state capital at Milledgeville, prompting the hasty departure of Governor Joseph Brown and the state legislature. 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. 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. "[17] There were about 13,000 men remaining at Lovejoy's Station, south of Atlanta. Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History, The Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg, A little more butchery. [6], When Byers was freed by the Union Capture of Columbia, he approached General Sherman and handed him a scrap of paper. Many troops who heard of their arrival retaliated by burning civilian barns and slaughtering their livestock. Hardee commanding, November 20, 1864", "The Civil War This Week: Oct 27Nov 2, 1864", "Savannah Campaign Confederate order of battle", "Capital Destruction and Economic Growth: The Effects of Sherman's March, 18501920", American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, "Historical markers illustrate overlooked stories", "Savannah Campaign Union order of battle" (, "Savannah Campaign Confederate order of battle" (, Today in Georgia History: March to the Sea, Today in Georgia History: Sherman in Savannah, National Park Service battle descriptions for the Savannah Campaign, National Park Service report on preservation and historic boundaries at the Savannah Campaign battlefields, New Georgia Encyclopedia article on the March, Noah Andre Trudeau Webcast Author Lecture, Georgia Public Broadcasting: 37 weeks Sherman on the March, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sherman%27s_March_to_the_Sea&oldid=1149848697, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, Nevin, David and the Editors of Time-Life Books (1986). He had defied military principles by operating deep within enemy territory and without lines of supply or communication. Slocums left wing encountered some trouble once they broke camp to continue their eastward march. Maj. Gen. John G. Foster dispatched 5,500 men and 10 guns under Brig. The following is an excerpt from those orders: IV. However, if antagonized by Confederate soldiers, Union officers could destroy private and industrial property. Less than six months later Gen. Robert E. Lee would surrender to the Union at Appomattox Court House and bring a formal end to the American Civil War. There was no lunch stop; instead, the men ate whenever and whatever they could. On the ground and on a much smaller scale, Sherman pioneered this process, becoming the first American to do so systematically. Sherman's March to the Sea marked a new development in the war. Having anticipated Confederate designs against Nashville, Sherman had already sent two divisions to the Tennessee capital. It seized 5,000 horses, 4,000 mules, and 13,000 head of cattle. [31], Sherman's scorched earth policies have always been highly controversial, and Sherman's memory has long been reviled by many Southerners. Sherman gave explicit instructions to his troops regarding their conduct while on the march. 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. He saw destruction of property as less onerous than casualties. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Although clearly headed eastward, Sherman was determined to conceal his movements from Confederate eyes. The Army of the Tennessee, headed by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, comprised the right wing. Observing the movements of Howards right wing, Confederate Lieut. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They searched hollow logs and any hiding place imaginable. It had some large plantations, but many more small farms growing a variety of products: vegetables, cotton, sweet potatoes and, in marshy areas, rice and sugar cane. On September 21, 1864, Confederate Gen. John B. Pleasant J. Phillips, came upon part of Shermans rear guard of some 1,700 men. 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.. 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. 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. Shermans 37-day campaign is remembered as one of the most successful examples of total war, and its psychological effects persisted in the postbellum South. While Howard's wing was delayed near Ball's Bluff, the 1st Alabama Cavalry (a Federal regiment) engaged Confederate pickets. 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. Ulysses S. Grant conferred with his generals in order to devise a strategy to bring the Confederate war machine to its knees. Gen. William H. Jackson, had approximately 10,000 troopers. Some bummers escalated their attacks on the local population. 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. Brig. Byers was a Union prisoner of war held at Camp Sorghum, near Columbia, South Carolina. [7][6][8], Sherman's "March to the Sea" followed his successful Atlanta Campaign of May to September 1864. They quietly abandoned their trenches and crossed the Savannah River into Confederate-held South Carolina. 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. Elements of the decline in agriculture persisted through 1920".[38]. Behind us lay Atlanta, smouldering and in ruins, the black smoke rising high in air, and hanging like a pall over the ruined city. VI. He had for a long time hated the idea of having to kill and maim Confederates, many of whom had been pre-war friends. 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. I never heard of any cases of murder or rape. Indeed relatively few charges of rape were made, and military medical records showed little sexual disease. The army moved at a steady pace, covering as much as 15 miles a day. In Atlanta Cox offers readers a compact, comprehensive, and balanced history of that campaign. Shermans army marched 285 miles (458 km) east from Atlanta to the coastal town of Savannah, which surrendered without a siege. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. 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. Union troops burned it to the ground. Background. 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. Although many of the houses were damaged and a minority put to the torch and totally destroyed others were left essentially untouched, an unpredictability that became a source of great fear. He issued these orders in preparation for his famous March to the Sea, also known as the Savannah Campaign. As the main columns had been marching all day, organized soldiers and others fanned out in all directions, looking for food and booty. Sherman estimated a total Confederate economic loss of $100 million (more than $1.5 billion in the 21st century) in his official campaign report. General Ulysses S. Grant. 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