Providing a balanced interpretation of one of the most infamous campaigns of the American Civil War, this book addresses the realities of the March to the Sea that are too often shrouded in myths and misperceptions.

The March to the Sea was the federal campaign through the heart of Georgia following its occupation of Atlanta, culminating in the capture of the Port of Savannah in December 1864. During the March to the Sea, Sherman’s Union forces destroyed not only military targets but also cotton gins, railroads, telegraph lines, and civilian property while seizing cattle, food, and other supplies, causing tremendous disruption to the South’s economy and damage to the will of Southerners to continue fighting.

This examination of Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea places the campaign in its broader military and political context and analyzes the often-neglected story of the Confederate response to the operation. It posits that Sherman’s campaign was actually more of an act of humanitarianism than senseless destruction and contributes to the current debate over Sherman’s role in the origins of total war in American military history. Finally, the book addresses the long-standing myths associated with Sherman and his march, stemming partially from portrayal of the general and his command in the 1939 film Gone With the Wind.

* Links the March to the Sea to Union forces’ grand strategy in the fall of 1864 as well as to the political agenda of the Lincoln Administration

* Analyzes Confederate military options and responses to the campaign, a largely overlooked subject

* Provides a close examination of Sherman’s motives as well as an accurate and balanced account of the devastation caused by the campaign

* Discusses the origins and evolution of the mythology associated with the campaign and its storied commander