Sherman's March to the Sea

UNIT 12: Civil War ENds

Lesson: Sherman's March to the Sea

8.63 Explain the significance of the following battles, events, and leaders during the Civil War, including: Sherman’s March to the Sea.

Sherman's March to the Sea

SHERMAN TAKES ATLANTA

The Atlanta Campaign, which took place in 1864, was led by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman. It marked the beginning of the end of the Civil War.

On the way south from Tennessee to Atlanta, Georgia, Sherman's Army was involved in several battles, including a risky assault at Kennesaw Mountain.

The Union Army sustained heavy losses but continued on their march and moved into Atlanta in early September 1864. Union Soldiers looted the city and then set it on fire on November 15, 1864. The next day, Sherman split his army and continued his famous "March to the Sea" through Georgia.

William Tecumseh Sherman, Union Army General

SHERMAN MARCHES TO SAVANNAH

Half of Sherman's Army traveled through Decatur, Covington, Edenton, and Milledgeville. The other half marched through Jonesboro and Gordon. The two groups met at Sandersville and headed to Savannah.

Union soldiers were told to destroy the countryside to crush any fighting spirit left in the south. The property damage was estimated by Sherman himself at $100 million. He also explained that the Union was not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people.

The Union Army sacked the capital of Milledgeville and then reached Savannah just before Christmas 1864. Sherman sent President Lincoln a telegram, presenting the city as a Christmas gift.

THE SHERMAN EFFECT

Sherman‘s March to the Sea achieved its goals: to be destructive and frightening and to bring an end to the war. Sherman's actions motivated the Confederacy to abandon its fight. It weakened the desire of civilians and soldiers to continue the conflict. The Confederacy would surrender in April 1865

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