Sherman's March to the Sea

A Union campaign in late 1864 in which William Tecumseh Sherman led troops from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, destroying Confederate infrastructure and supplies.

Atlanta Campaign: A Union campaign in 1864 that captured Atlanta after a series of battles and maneuvering in northern Georgia. Its capture of Atlanta opened the route for Sherman’s march eastward.
William Tecumseh Sherman: A Union general who commanded the campaign across Georgia in 1864. Sherman planned and led the march.
Savannah: A port city in Georgia that Union forces captured in December 1864. Sherman presented Savannah to President Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas gift after the march.
Anaconda Plan: The Union strategy of blockading Southern ports and controlling the Mississippi River to restrict the Confederacy. It relied on blockade and territorial control rather than Sherman’s overland devastation of Georgia.
March to the Sea supply lines: The foraging system by which Sherman’s army obtained food and other necessities while crossing Georgia. Foraging freed the army from relying on a long, vulnerable supply line.
Battle of Atlanta: An 1864 battle in which Union forces defeated a Confederate attack near Atlanta. The Union victory helped secure the city before Sherman began his march.
American home front during the Civil War: Civilian life and economic activity in the United States during the Civil War. The march brought the war directly to Georgia’s civilian communities and resources.
Siege of Vicksburg: A 1863 Union siege that captured Vicksburg and gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. Vicksburg shows a concentrated siege strategy, unlike Sherman’s march through a broad region.
Sherman's Special Field Orders No. 120: Sherman’s November 1864 order setting rules for his army’s march through Georgia. The order governed foraging, movement, and the destruction of selected property.
John Bell Hood: A Confederate general who commanded the Army of Tennessee during the Atlanta Campaign. Hood’s campaign against Sherman’s supply line influenced Sherman’s choice to leave Atlanta.

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