A Very Brief Look At The Battle Of Atlanta

In 1864, Union armies began to make large gains in battles against the South. One such engagement came with the Battle of Atlanta, led by General William Sherman. The battle for Atlanta was raising some hopes that the Civil War was drawing to an end, but this was not yet true, as the populace in the South did not concede so easily. The battle took place over 4 different engagements in the late summer, with the final battle taking place on September 1, 1864. Following this battle, Southern troops were in full retreat out of Atlanta, and Union troops were filtering in. Issues arose though following the entrance into the city. General Sherman called for the total displacement of civilian populace out of Atlanta. When this order came through,
Sherman ordered the firing and burning of buildings, mills, and other industries that were aiding in the continual supplying of the Confederate armies. These fires, however, got out of hand, and the City of Atlanta burned out of control throughout the night of November 16, 1864. The following day, Sherman and his troops set out on their march. The objective of this portion of his march was to make it to the coast firstly, and to confuse and lead the Confederate soldiers who were pursuing him on a sort of wild goose chase. Sherman indicated that his troops were to head towards two other towns south of Atlanta, but kept his troops closer together than that, and made his way towards Savanah. Once Sherman was in Savanah, his main objective of this march was complete; the establishment of a constant supply line from the Navy, and one that could not be interrupted such as the ones leading into Atlanta. Sherman’s march through Georgia also had a sub-objective as well. This sub-objective led to readily available supplies, but also caused the disruptions of these same supplies to the Confederate armies as well. The disruption consisted of destroying fences and crops, killing livestock, burning barns and factories and houses of wealthy Confederate Army supporters. In all, Sherman was destroying the very fabric of Southern life in his quest to reach the
Yes, Sherman had an unbridle disdain for South Carolina as he believed the populace there was the main catalyst to the Civil War. The march through South Carolina was devastation from the onset. Roads, bridges, railways, supplies, factories, businesses, homes, you name it, nothing was off limits to the destruction. This destruction almost directed the complete loss of Columbia, SC when troops set fire to the city. The damage and destruction had one objective; show the Southern population their errors in joining, starting, and supporting the entrance of the Civil