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“War is Hell…” Sherman’s March to the Sea

“War is Hell…” Sherman’s March to the Sea. November-December 1864 Georgia. William Tecumseh Sherman. Reluctant General and Presidential nominee, in comments to Michigan military school in 1879 :.

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“War is Hell…” Sherman’s March to the Sea

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  1. “War is Hell…”Sherman’s March to the Sea November-December 1864 Georgia

  2. William Tecumseh Sherman Reluctant General and Presidential nominee, in comments to Michigan military school in 1879: “I am sick and tired of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have never fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. Some say that war is all glory, but I tell you boys, it is all hell.” TOTAL WAR!

  3. The Beginning of the End… July 4, 1863 – Gettysburg – The South realizes that it can no longer win the war. July 4, 1863 – Vicksburg – Grant takes this fortress city, finishing conquest of the entire Mississippi River. 1864 – Grant is made commanding officer of the Union armies, chooses Sherman as his second-in-command. Lincoln and Grant decide on a strategy of total war.

  4. “Total War” “Total War” recognizes that the war effort by a nation involves everyone in that nation. Being at war with a nation therefore means that you are at war with every single person in that nation. Therefore, anything you can do to reduce or remove enemy assets helps you win the war. “Total War” is at times considered more merciful than limited war because it ends the war more quickly. Sherman decided to implement “total war” in his famous “March to the Sea.”

  5. “Sherman’s March to the Sea” Sherman broke all four laws of war in his march to the sea: Protect your supply lines Keep your troops together Know where your enemy is. Don’t waster energy on anyone but enemy soldiers. Sherman… Ignored his supply lines, living off the enemy land. Spread out his troops in a sixty mile front. Ignored the enemy troops, and just walked to the sea. Targeted both military and civilian targets. Scorched earth!

  6. Results? • Sherman marched south to Savannah, destroying Georgia. • He then marched north through South Carolina, using “scorched earth” policies on the South’s “garden spot.” • Finally he met up with Grant in North Carolina, surrounding Lee and causing the Confederates to surrender. • He helped end the war, but at what cost? • Southerners called him “Sherman the Beast” • Northerners made him Commanding General of the Army, and tried to get him to run for President. • “If nominated I will not run. If elected I will not serve.”

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