1) In May 1864, General William T. Sherman led over 100,000 Union troops into Georgia from Tennessee to capture the city of Atlanta, a key railroad and industrial center. 2) After battling Confederate forces led by General Joseph Johnston and John Bell Hood outside Atlanta over the summer, Sherman forced the Confederates to abandon Atlanta in September 1864. 3) In November 1864, Sherman marched his army of 60,000 men unopposed from Atlanta to Savannah, destroying military targets and infrastructure along the way to break Confederate resistance.

1. The Fall of Atlanta
&
General Sherman’s March
May 1864February 1865

2. General Sherman
 With
Grant off to
Virginia to do battle
with Lee’s
Confederate Army
General William T.
Sherman was left in
charge of the west
 He had his eye on
taking Atlanta, the
Gateway City

3. Atlanta
 On
May 5th, 1864 Sherman led over 100,00
men out of Tennessee and south into Georgia
 Atlanta was an industrial city whose factories
produced many military goods, it also was
positioned as a key railroad center

4. Atlanta


Sherman’s forces attempted to defeat Confederate
General Joseph Johnson’s at Kennesaw Mt, about 20
miles from Atlanta
Johnson’s men had good position and knew the
Georgia mountains and repelled the Union Army on
June 27th

5. Atlanta


Sherman had his large
army and was
relentless, outflanking
Johnson and crossing
the Chattahoochee
River just 7 miles away
A new, aggressive
Confederate General
named Hood attempted
to defend the city by
attacking Sherman’s
army in the field, both
times the South was
defeated and forced
back to protect the city

6. Atlanta



Sherman knew the city was too fortified for a direct
assault so he started bombarding it with cannon fire
and destroying all the railroads leading into the city
The Confederate Army abandoned the city and it was
taken on September 1st
Sherman’s men began burning the factories and
depots that had any military use

7. A boost for Lincoln
 The
fall of Atlanta
clearly showed that
it was the Union now
winning the war
 The news electrified
the north and helped
Lincoln win the reelection of 1864

8. Sherman



Sherman knew he couldn’t count on the railroads for
re-supply, they were too vulnerable to Confederate
attack
He proposed marching his entire army to the city of
Savannah on the Atlantic Coast, 220 miles away
He could use the ocean port to gain access to Union
ships

9. Sherman’s March


He also saw this march as a way to strike a
psychological blow to the south, he could make
civilians suffer as well as the military and break
Southern resistance
After 10 weeks of resting in Atlanta his army set out
on November 15th for it’s infamous march

10. Sherman’s March



There were very few
forces to oppose
Sherman’s march so he
spread his 60,000
troops in a dispersed
line 60 miles wide
Anything that might
have value to the
military was a target,
they pulled up railroads
and set fire to factories
Many civilians were
treated harshly and
many slaves were
liberated and
abandoned
Sherman’s “Neckties”

11. Sherman’s March
 Sherman
reached Savannah on December
21st and took control of the ports
 He thought about using the sea to join Grant’s
army in Virginia but decided to continue his
destructive march north through the Carolinas

12. Sherman’s March


South Carolina was much tougher, there were more
Confederate troops, it was February and the route lay
across muddy roads and swampy rivers
Still the Confederate commanders were surprised by
the speed of the advance - and the level of
ruthlessness they witnessed

13. Sherman’s March




South Carolina suffered even greater destruction than
Georgia
Even homes with no military value were robbed and
burned
On February 18th the state capital of Columbia was
destroyed by fire
The event was notorious, but it remained unclear
whether Union forces started the blaze intentionally

14. Sherman’s March



There was one last
attempt to stop the
advance in North
Carolina
Confederate General
Johnston engaged
Sherman’s troop at
Bentonville March 1921st but were again
beaten
Sherman took control of
Raleigh, his marches
had been decisive

15. Sherman’s March


Sherman’s destructive marches made him a figure of
hate among many Southerners
While some slaves viewed him as a liberator many
remained loyal to their owners, they saw Sherman’s
ransacking of the south as a betrayal

16. Sherman’s words:
We are not only fighting
armies, but a hostile people,
and must make old and young,
rich and poor, feel the hard
hand of war, as well as their
organized armies. I know that
this recent movement of mine
through Georgia has had a
wonderful effect…”“

17. Sherman’s March