Purpose of Sherman's March to the Sea

• Grant sent General William T. Sherman to deliver destruction to the heart of the Confederacy—Atlanta, Georgia, which Sherman captured in September 1864.

• This was an important feat because Atlanta was a railroad hub and the industrial center of the Confederacy. 

"Total War"

one in which all rules and laws of war are ignored and all resources are poured into defeating the enemy no matter what the cost

Continuing March Through the South

From Georgia to South and North Carolina

After Georgia...

• Sherman marched 62,000 Union troops through Georgia to Savannah, located on the Atlantic shore.

• Early in 1865, Sherman and his men left Savannah, burning their way northward to Columbia, South Carolina. 

• His goal was to destroy southern property, crops, and other supplies.