Sherman's Atlanta Campaign and March to the Sea

Atlanta Campaign

Sherman's Atlanta campaign was a sires of battles fought up in northern Georgia and around the city of Atlanta, it was imperative that they captured Atlanta and had a major victory or Abraham Lincoln would not have been re-elected. During the summer of 1861- 1864 Union Major General William T. Sherman lead an army through the state of Georgia, his main goal was to take the city of Atlanta. By 1861 Atlanta had grown from a small railroad center into a major city that was like the heart pumping blood through the veins, the veins being the railroads and the heart being Atlanta where all the supplies used were transported out of on the railroads to the confederate army. Sherman fought many battles as he stretched out towards Atlanta, and  ended the Atlanta campaign with a siege on Atlanta till the confederates surrendered and Atlanta was owned by the Union on September 1864.

Sherman's March to the Sea

After Sherman took Atlanta he sent President Abraham Lincoln a telegram telling him "happy birthday, I give you Atlanta!" this gave the North hope that the tides were turning and Abraham Lincoln could win this war. Sherman and a Bunch of commanders gathered there in Atlanta and debated on what should be done next, Sherman suggested that they evacuate Atlanta and burn it to the ground making it less appealing to be recaptured and if it was it would be useless, also in that meeting it was decided that Sherman would lead an army down through Georgia all the way to Savannah, one of the major sea ports. Later on November 15 1864 Sherman and his men set out across Georgia, he used a war commonly called total war (or scorched earth) when ever he came to any farms, houses, or buildings he would raid them of their possessions and would take their food which he used to feed his armies. Aside from the main point of the war being to take northern Georgia and Savannah Sherman was also aiming to damage people psychologically, he figured that by raiding peoples homes and farms they would feel unsafe and would beg the leaders and their family members to quit fighting and come home and it worked, people started abandoning the war and started going home. Sherman's march proved successful and ended on December 21 1864 with the capture of major cities Macon, Augusta, and Savannah (along with a bunch of smaller places. Sherman's march not only gave the union more land but it gave the union confidence that they might actually win the war, and so they set them selves towards the path of victory.