General Sherman’s March to the Sea (November – December 1864)

General William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea, also known as the Savannah Campaign, began on November 15 when Sherman’s forces left Atlanta, Georgia. The Confederate defeat at Savannah on December 21, 1864 marked the end of the campaign. Teachers can find an overview of this campaign in Professor Anne Bailey’s entry on the New Georgia Encyclopedia. The Library of Congress also has a number of related resources, including battle maps, photographs, and illustrations. In addition, the Digital Library of Georgia has all of the  images from  Barnard’s Photographic Views of the Sherman Campaign (1866), including several pictures of Savannah. Lt. Cornelius C. Platter’s diary, which was noted in an earlier post, is another resource that offers an interesting perspective on a Union officer’s experience. Platter, who served with the 81st Ohio Infantry Volunteers, added an entry on almost every day of the campaign. As his company prepared for their “marching orders” in early November, Platter described:

“Many different opinions have been expressed as to our probable destination – Some think we will make direct for Charleston S.C. others that we will visit Mobile – but the most general belief is that Savannah will be the objective point – Nothing definite however is known concerning the coming movement. Received orders this evening to move at six o’clock tomorrow morning – All tents and other government property which we can not take with us to be left standing undisturbed.”

These preparations reflected the fact that Sherman’s forces would be cut off from their supply lines. After the war General Sherman described some of his preparations for this kind of operation:

“The most extraordinary efforts had been made to purge this army of non combatants and of sick men for we knew well that there was to be no place of safety save with the army itself our wagons were loaded with ammunition provisions and forage and we could ill afford to haul even sick men in the ambulances so that all on this exhibit may be assumed to have been able bodied experienced soldiers well armed well equipped and provided as far as human foresight could with all the essentials of life strength and vigorous action.”