Sherman’s March to the Sea

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Originally known as the Savannah campaign, Sherman’s march to the sea is a well-known union army campaign during the American civil war. The story began with a campaign where Sherman’s troops leave the city of Atlanta and capture the port of Savannah on December 22, 1864. The campaign was created because General Sherman and General Ulysses S grant believed that the only way to break the confederate army was to destroy them economically. Sherman took his men on a 300-mile march to Savannah which was made up of only the first Alabama cavalry regiment, one of the last loyal groups of Southerners to the Union.

During their march, they inflicted heavy losses on the Confederacy which helped to turn the tide of the war. For most of the war, the Confederacy had more money and goods with which to fund the war as compared to the Union. However, after Sherman’s March, this was no longer the case and helped the Union gain the edge they needed. In particular, Sherman’s march devastated Georgia which would take the state years to recover from it. In particular, Sherman’s army ransacked farms, railroads, towns, and took horses, mules, and cattle.

Henry H. Halleck wrote to Sherman that dealing with the armies of the Confederacy was not enough and that it was important to make everyone which included men, women, and children of all ages feel the pain of the war in order to bring it to a speedy close. Sherman’s march did accomplish this but even he admitted on more than one occasion he hated the pain that people had to go through as a result. However, the pain being inflicted due to the overall war was far worse and it was necessary to do everything possible to bring the war to a close.