Shermans March to the Sea
General William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea started on November 15, 1864, from Atlanta, Georgia to Savannah, on the coast. ... Because of their experience, plus a rigorous “weeding-out” process made before the March, to remove all troops not up to standards, they believed themselves to be elite troops. ... Part of his plan for the March was to destroy any building in Atlanta that the Confederates might find useful. ... While on the March, his troops were unable to continue receiving supplies from the rail line that currently supplied them. ... To compensate, Sherman ordered that the "army will forage liberally on the countryside during the march. ... The 20th would march to Milledgeville via Madison and Eatonton, while the 14th would take a direct route to Milledgeville. ... Throughout the March, Sherman’s soldiers destroyed many railroads, factories, mills, foundries, warehouses, and other structures, which were used, or could have been used in the Confederate war effort. The area that Sherman’s army went through was therefore unable to send supplies to any Confederate army, so the primary goal of the March was achieved. ... Throughout the March, small bands of militia constantly harassed the army, not to stop them, or even slow them down, but to keep the army in a narrow path, to limit the amount of destruction. ... " The March to the Sea was complete. The results of the march were devastating.