Sherman's March

I would make this war as severe as possible, and no symptoms of fatigue until the South begs for mercy. William Tecumseh Sherman

Rarely has a historical character as both revered and reviled as was William Tecumseh Sherman. For Northerners, Sherman is the man who almost singlehandedly brought about the end of a civil war more bloody and bitter than any war fought before or since on American soil. For Southerners, it is a monster, an arbitrator of destruction more brutal and more comprehensively than any seen before or since on American soil.

For military strategists and historians, Sherman is considered the first modern military leader, one whose "total war" against the southern states, it has paved the way through during his famous "March to the Sea" would be duplicated in the bombing of London by the Germans in the 1940s, napalm attack in Vietnam in the 1960s, and almost every other major war since the Civil War.

A graduate of West Point and a military officer, Sherman has failed both the banking and before accepting a position as CEO of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy in Pineville, Louisiana. He was a popular leader and respected by students there, the students, he would later face in combat.

Sherman left the school that would later become Louisiana State University, just after the secession of Louisiana shortly after he became a colonel in the infantry of the United States.

early career of Sherman is remarkable that the anger he stirred both his fellow Union soldiers and the press. Concerns about his readiness for the U.S. military facing Confederate forces led to his being labeled "crazy" by many. It has lost its designated position, was transferred to another company, and suffered a depressive episode during which he took leave and returned home to Ohio.

When Sherman returned to service, he was finally placed under the command of General Grant, a fortuitous association. After the wonderful achievements at Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga, Grant placed Sherman in control of the entire U.S. Army on the Western Front. Sherman's strategy is: while Grant treated Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia to the east, Sherman would cause total panic in the west, from Georgia, the ultimate objective of the Ocean Atlantic.

If the people raise a howl against my barbarity and cruelty, great, I will answer that war is war, not the pursuit of popularity. William Tecumseh Sherman

Barbarism and cruelty was indeed what Sherman forged. With an army of nearly 100,000 men, Sherman set his sights on Atlanta, and in September of 1864, captured the city. He ordered all civilians, and began to burn most of the city. This achievement gave him the glory, and has contributed to the reelection of Lincoln in the presidential race this fall.

Sherman and his men went to Savannah, with Sherman boasted that he would "make Georgia howl." His numbers dropped to about 60,000 now, Sherman and his men descended on the people of Georgia, using their food , animals, and all necessary steps, leaving a scorched trail of destruction in their wake. Sherman himself once said that he and his men have killed more than 100 million dollars in damage in Georgia.

And he did take Savannah. He telegraphed Lincoln shortly before December 25, 1864: "I want to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton."

Sherman's "war lasts," as he called it, was horrible for white Southerners, salvation for slaves. His goal was simple: in his own words, Mr. Sherman explained what would become known as total war:

My goal was to whip the rebels, to humble their pride, to follow in their inmost recesses, and make them fear and distress us. .