Historical Summary

"TO introduce into the philosophy of war a principle of moderation would be an absurdity," declared Clausewitz. "War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost hounds." To the South no campaign of the invaders lived up to this concept as fully as Sherman’s march to the sea. In reality this was a brilliant tactical move—a flank attack made possible by Grant’s fixing of the enemy’s main forces when he crossed the Rapidan. The original objective was the railroad center of Atlanta. When Hood, "a man who would fight," replaced Johnston, whose brilliant Fabian tactics had stalled Sherman’s advance, the South suffered a series of military setbacks. Sherman cut Atlanta’s communications and supplies and forced Hood to evacuate the city. Instead of following the Confederate general into Tennessee, Sherman contented himself with sending a strong detachment in pursuit, but with the main body of his troops he carried out the bold plan of cutting loose from his base of supplies and marching southeast from Atlanta to the sea. The hazards of this venture are best described in Sherman’s own words from his Memoirs, the first selection that follows.

Sherman cut a swath to the sea, three hundred miles in length, sixty in width. Wrecked railroads, burned bridges, gutted plantation houses, smashed bureaus, broken trunks, and depleted livestock were left in his wake. His soldiers were ordered to "forage liberally on the country," and wild looting resulted. As Sherman himself confessed: "No doubt many acts of pillage, robbery, and violence were committed by these parties of foragers, usually called ’bummers’; for I have since heard of jewelry taken from women, and the plunder of articles that never reached the commissary; but these acts were exceptional and incidental. I never heard of any eases of murder or rape." Nevertheless, the roads were crowded with refugees, and the woods and swamps concealed others who lived in terror of their lives.

One of these refugees, Joseph Le Conte, records in his "Journal" of entering Columbia, South Carolina, and finding "not a house remaining; only the tall chimneys standing gaunt and spectral, and empty brick wails with vacant windows like death-heads with eyeless sockets." The burning of Columbia occurred in the second phase of Sherman’s campaign. After capturing Savannah, Sherman turned northward, crossing into South Carolina to take Lee from the rear. Arson and pillage marked the South Carolina campaign. A Union army chaplain recorded, under date of Februry 2, 1865:

"Today passed a splendid mansion. In front was a most beautiful flower garden. In the several rooms was furniture of the costliest kind. I noticed a very fine piano, chairs, mirror, etc. But in a short time, all was demolished, and the mansion was fired, but just about this time, General Ward came up, and ordered the fire put out. While this was being done, the torch was applied in another part of the house, and while this second fire was being extinguished, the match was applied in the garret, and the house was soon one grand mass of flames.

"It seems sad to burn such beautiful residences, but our boys reason in this wise, and reason correctly, too, I think. The wealthy people of the South were the very ones to plunge this country into secession. Now let them suffer. Let South Carolina aristocracy have its fill of secession."

On the night of February 17, 1865, Columbia was largely destroyed by fire. Southerners charged that this was a deliberate act on Sherman’s part. The Union general placed the blame on Wade Hampton, who commanded the Confederate rear-guard cavalry, and ordered all cotton moved into the streets and fired to prevent the invaders from making use of it. "I disclaim on the part of my army any agency in this fire," Sherman stoutly affirmed. Wade Hampton admitted that he burned the bridge and the railroad depots, but declared that he had countermanded an order to burn the cotton. In any event the cotton constituted a dangerous fire hazard. The Northern journalist, Pike, stated that the exasperated Union troops set additional fires when they entered the burning city.

While the exact truth will never be ascertained, the account by Major George Ward Nichols, Sherman’s aide-de-camp and a brilliant journalist, is probably as close to the facts as we will ever get. This eyewitness story follows General Sherman’s own account of the march and is an excerpt from Nichols’ Story of the Great March, published in 1865. The accounts of General Sherman and Major Nichols serve to re-create for us the flight of Scarlett O’Hara and Melanie Wilkes from Atlanta and their return to a mined world.

The Northern captain, George Pepper, described the ways of a bummer in much the same manner as that of the Southern journalist.

Key Quote

To "make Georgia howl" a hard-bitten Union general heaps fire, waste, destruction, and misery on the South: "We do not war against women and children and helpless persons."