November 15
Sherman Begins March to the Sea in Civil War
Union General William Tecumseh Sherman led 60,000 troops on a month-long campaign of destruction through Georgia, cutting supply lines and targeting the Confederate economy to hasten the war's end.
Summary
By late 1864, Union forces under General William Tecumseh Sherman had captured Atlanta after a grueling campaign, dealing a major blow to Confederate morale and logistics. With his supply lines vulnerable and facing orders to continue operations, Sherman decided on a bold strategy of total war against the Southern economy. On November 15, he set out from Atlanta with approximately 60,000 troops, destroying railroads, factories, and crops in a scorched-earth advance toward Savannah. The army moved in multiple columns, foraging off the land and systematically wrecking infrastructure to undermine Confederate support. The March to the Sea lasted about a month and ended with the capture of Savannah just before Christmas. It demonstrated the effectiveness of psychological and economic warfare in hastening the Confederacy's collapse.
Context
By the fall of 1864 the American Civil War had reached a critical juncture in the Western theater. Union forces under Sherman had captured the vital rail and industrial hub of Atlanta on September 2 after months of maneuvering against Confederate armies led first by Joseph E. Johnston and then by John Bell Hood. This victory boosted Northern morale and helped secure President Abraham Lincoln's reelection, but it also left Sherman with vulnerable supply lines stretching back to Chattanooga and a Confederate force under Hood still active in the region.
What Happened
Sherman proposed abandoning his base and marching southeast to the Atlantic coast, living off the land while destroying railroads, factories, and agricultural resources that sustained the Confederacy. Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant approved the plan, overriding Lincoln's initial reservations, and Major General George H. Thomas was left with other troops to confront Hood in Tennessee. On November 15 Sherman departed Atlanta with roughly 62,000 men organized into two wings: the right under Major General Oliver O. Howard and the left under Major General Henry W. Slocum, supported by cavalry under Brigadier General Judson Kilpatrick.
Aftermath
The columns advanced in multiple parallel paths, foraging widely and systematically wrecking infrastructure as they moved. Minor clashes occurred, most notably the lopsided Battle of Griswoldville on November 22, but organized Confederate resistance proved ineffective. By mid-December Sherman's forces reached the outskirts of Savannah; after the capture of Fort McAllister on December 13 restored contact with the Union navy, Confederate Lieutenant General William J. Hardee evacuated the city. Union troops entered Savannah on December 21, and Sherman telegraphed Lincoln offering the city as a Christmas gift.
Legacy
The March to the Sea demonstrated the effectiveness of targeting an enemy's economic and psychological capacity to fight, establishing a model of total war that influenced later military doctrine. Historians continue to debate its morality and necessity, yet it remains widely viewed as a decisive blow that accelerated Confederate collapse by showing Southern civilians their government could not shield them from invasion.
Why It Matters
The campaign crippled Georgia's ability to sustain the Confederate war effort and boosted Northern morale ahead of the 1864 election. It established a precedent for modern total war doctrines and remains a defining example of how military operations targeted civilian resources to break enemy will, influencing later conflicts and historical interpretations of the Civil War.
Related Questions
Why did Sherman decide to march to the sea instead of pursuing Hood?
Sherman believed destroying Georgia's economic resources would undermine Confederate morale and logistics more effectively than chasing Hood's army, which Thomas could handle in Tennessee.
How did Sherman's troops supply themselves during the march?
The army foraged off the land, with organized parties known as 'bummers' collecting food and supplies from farms and plantations along the route.
What was the strategic goal of destroying railroads and crops?
Sherman aimed to cripple the Confederacy's ability to sustain its armies and to demonstrate to Southern civilians that their government could not protect them, thereby breaking their will to continue fighting.
How long did the March to the Sea last?
The campaign ran from November 15 to December 21, 1864, covering roughly 285 miles in about five weeks.
Related Portfolio Site
US Military Atlas: Sherman's March to the Sea Civil War campaign
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Sources
- Union General Sherman’s scorched-earth March to the Sea campaign begins, HISTORY. Accessed 2026-07-07.