...“Instead of being on the defensive, I would be on the offensive”: General Sherman’s March through Georgia 1 The United States Civil War was the bloodiest and most trying conflict in American history. Hundreds of thousands of American lives were lost on both sides of the war. General William Tecumseh Sherman’s march through Georgia to the sea was a brilliant strategic victory for the North that helped to end the war more quickly, all while preserving the lives of soldiers on both the North and South. All though his march was outside the general practice of warfare it is clear that the General’s movement through Georgia was the best course he could have taken given his circumstances. His capture of Atlanta and his subsequent march to follow is one of the most controversial issues of the war. At the time of the war it was commonplace for the military leaders to embed their troops in entrenchments that were nearly impossible to infiltrate. They would then rush their men towards each other in a bloody battle. General Sherman realized that attacking the entrenchments of the enemy was fruitless and killed too many soldiers. He went on a path of flanking maneuvers that helped get around these entrenched soldiers. He followed up this plan by attacking the economy of the South and breaking their resolve. The importance of his new plan can be seen on how his tactics of attacking the land and economy, instead of other human beings, and avoiding head-on confrontation actually...
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...Sherman’s March to the Sea: War Tactics This march helped end the Civil War in 1865. With many battles fought, the Union thought it had no chance in winning the war until the capture of Atlanta, Georgia. This boosted the morale of the Union and it helped the men fight back and continue on. The Union was lead by General Ulysses Grant and under him was General William T. Sherman. General Sherman started his campaign to take Atlanta in May of 1864. He formed three armies, and for about three months moving south it causes the Confederates to fall back further into Georgia. The Confederate’s General Joseph Johnson was replaced by General John Hood because Johnson was not showing any willingness to fight back at the Union. Then after many battles Sherman wins the victory, and claims the city of Atlanta on September 1, 1864. He moved into the capitol building the very next day. With the capture of Atlanta, President Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as president, after many had thought that the Confederate promises will win the election for the democrats.(militaryhistory.about.com) For the next two months Sherman campaign to go south into enemy territories. With the approval from President Lincoln, Sherman splits up his army into two groups, the Left and Right Wing, they head towards to the capture of Savannah. On November 15 the armies started marching south; the Left Wing went to Augusta, while the Right Wing went to Macon, causing the Confederate army to split as well. (ourgeorgiahistory...
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...Sherman’s March to Sea is the term often given to the military Savannah Campaign in the American civil war. It was directed through Georgia from November 15th through December 21, 1964. He was a Union soldier out to conquer the confederacy. The thing that made him and his march unique was the way he chose to conduct the war. Instead of picking a fight with the confederate army he attacked Southern civilians along with the confederate army and weakened their entire operation. His military style has brought him much criticism. The Savannah campaign was led by William T. Sherman. Sherman was the General of the union army during the Civil war. He served under Ulysses S. Grant from 1862-1863. During this time he led the fall of the Confederation of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River and reached a major...
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...naval blockade as both sides massed armies and resources. In 1862, battles such as Shiloh and Antietam caused massive casualties unprecedented in U.S. military history. In September 1862, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation made ending slavery in the South a war goal, which complicated the Confederacy's manpower shortages. In the East, Confederate commander Robert E. Lee won a series of victories over Union armies, but Lee's reverse at Gettysburg in early July, 1863 proved the turning point. The capture of Vicksburg and Port Hudson by Ulysses S. Grant completed Union control of the Mississippi River. Grant fought bloody battles of attrition with Lee in 1864, forcing Lee to defend the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. Union general William Sherman captured Atlanta, Georgia, and began his famous March to the Sea, devastating a...
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...frightened but got warmed up and made the best speech of the day. (Encarta)." Abraham Lincoln's political career started in the spring of 1832 by running for a seat in the Illinois' House of Representatives. However an unusual turn of events happened a month after he announced he was running. The store he was working at went bankrupt and he lost his job. Very shortly thereafter Native Americans rebelled and the governor of Illinois asked for volunteers to help put this down to which Lincoln promptly volunteered for. He never experienced actual combat, but during his 3 month time period he served as a captain and a private. Lincoln enjoyed his his short stay in the military. When the brief uprising was over, Lincoln returned to Illinois to campaign for a spot in the Illinois House of Representatives. He spoke on tree stumps to groups of people, went to farms and talked to farmers at their homes, and greeted people on the street and started conversation with them. However, this...
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