Sherman's March to the Sea (15 November to 21 December 1864) was a significant military campaign in the American Civil War (1861-1865). Hoping to cripple the Confederacy's ability to make war, as well as to crush its will to keep fighting, Union Major General William Tecumseh Sherman led 62,000 men on a march from Atlanta, Georgia, to the coastal city of Savannah. In between, he conducted a 'scorched earth' campaign, destroying farms, factories, railroads, and other resources of military value. By the time Sherman's army captured Savannah on 21 December, it had caused over $100 million in destruction (over $1.5 billion today) and so thoroughly disrupted Georgia's agriculture that it would take generations for the state to recover. The 'March to the Sea' succeeded in both its goals and played a major role in bringing the war to an end only a few months later.
More about: Sherman's March to the SeaDefinition
Timeline
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15 Nov 1864US Major General William T. Sherman burns Atlanta, begins his infamous 'March to the Sea'.
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22 Nov 1864Battle of Griswoldville; the Confederates lose about 1,000 casualties trying to dislodge a Union brigade.
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23 Nov 1864Sherman captures Milledgeville, the state capital of Georgia.
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9 Dec 1864Dozens of African-Americans drown in Ebenezer Creek, trying to follow Sherman's army in its march to the sea.
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13 Dec 1864Sherman's forces take Fort McAllister outside Savannah, GA.
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21 Dec 1864Sherman captures Savannah, Georgia, ending his 'March to the Sea'.
