1. General William T. Sherman’s “March to the Sea”

2. Background
After successfully capturing Atlanta in September of 1864, Sherman began his march to Savannah on November 15,
Previously, Sherman and General Ulysses S. Grant had discussed a march through Georgia that would break the South’s will to continue to fight.

3. Historians call Sherman’s approach “total war:”
he ordered his troops to burn crops, kill livestock, consume supplies, and destroy civilian infrastructure along their path.

4. Before leaving Atlanta, Sherman issued “General Order 120” to his army:
“4. The army will forage liberally on the country during the march.”
“5. To corps commanders alone is intrusted the power to destroy mills, houses, cotton-gins, etc.…”
“6. As for horses, mules, wagons, etc., belonging to the inhabitants, the cavalry and artillery may appropriate freely and without limit…”
… but should guerrillas or bushwhackers molest our march, or should the inhabitants burn bridges, obstruct roads, or otherwise manifest local hostility, then army commanders should order and enforce a devastation more or less relentless, according to the measure of such hostility.

5. Sherman sent one wing of his army south, to trick the Confederates into thinking he was going to attack Macon, he then turned toward Savannah.

6. Destruction of Railroads
Throughout the march, Sherman’s men destroyed railroads and made “Sherman’s Neckties.”
The neckties were created in accordance with an explicit order from Sherman in his Atlanta Campaign, dated July 18, 1864: twisting the bars when hot. Officers should be instructed that bars simply bent may be used again, but if when red hot they are twisted out of line they cannot be used again. Pile the ties into shape for a bonfire, put the rails across and when red hot in the middle, let a man at each end twist the bar so that its surface becomes spiral.

8. Defeat of Ft. McAllister
Sherman's armies reached the outskirts of Savannah on December 10th, but a large Confederate fort, Ft. McAllister, stood in his way.
On December 13, 4,000 Union soldiers stormed the fort and took it (from the 230 Confederates) in 15 minutes.

9. The Surrender of Savannah
On December 17, Sherman demanded that Confederate General Hardee surrender the city of Savannah, or the city would be attacked and burned, or the citizens would be starved.
General Hardee and his men snuck out of Savannah and got away, leaving the mayor of Savannah to surrender to Sherman on December 21, 1864.

10. A Present for Lincoln
Upon the surrender of the city, Sherman telegraphed President Lincoln:
"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."

11. Results
After capturing Savannah, Sherman turned his army north and invaded South Carolina and North Carolina, however, he is most well known for his destruction in Georgia.

12. Sherman himself estimated that the campaign had inflicted $100 million in destruction, about one fifth of which "inured to our advantage" while the "remainder is simple waste and destruction.”
The Army wrecked 300 miles of railroad and numerous bridges and miles of telegraph lines.
It seized 5,000 horses, 4,000 mules, and 13,000 head of cattle.
It confiscated 9.5 million pounds of corn and 10.5 million pounds of fodder, and destroyed uncounted cotton gins and mills.