Sherman's March to the Sea

Overview

Sherman's March to the Sea, officially known as the Savannah campaign, or simply Sherman's March, was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by United States Army Major General William T. Sherman. It began on November 15 with Sherman's troops leaving Atlanta, recently taken by Union forces under Sherman, and ended with the capture of the port of Savannah on December 21. Emulating the chevauchée of medieval European warfare, his forces followed a "scorched earth" policy, destroying military targets as well as industry, infrastructure, and civilian property, disrupting the Confederacy's economy and transportation networks.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Sherman's March to the Sea, formally the Savannah Campaign, ran from November 15 to December 21, 1864, taking Union forces from the recently captured Atlanta to the capture of the port of Savannah. By applying a scorched-earth policy modeled on the medieval chevauchée, Sherman's forces systematically destroyed military targets, industry, infrastructure, and civilian property across Georgia, directly disrupting Confederate economic capacity and transportation networks. The campaign demonstrated that Union armies could operate deep inside Confederate territory and sustain themselves while denying resources to the Southern war effort.

Tactics