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When you fight one enemy, capture his capital. When you fight more than one enemy, attack his lines of communication. General Sherman destroyed all the rail road tracks and food in a 60 mile wide strip. With the rail roads destroyed, trains carrying supplies could not carry military supplies. If he had just destroyed bridges, it would have been possible to off load freight cars from one train, put the supplies on wagons, carry them by wagon to a different place past the bridge, and load them on another train. It was not that simple with a 60 mile wide strip destroyed. It was easy enough to load supplies on a horse and wagon. Then after about 30 miles, the horse needed to eat. There was no food. The horse would drop. The Union had messed up the South's lines of communication.

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15y ago
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12y ago

To wreck the farms and railroads in order to starve the Confederate armies in the field.

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Sherman's March to the Sea can't be considered only as a series of punitive raids across Georgia. It was part of a major strategic plan aiming to take from behind the Confederacy's "Atlantic Fortress", approved by Grant and Lincoln.

It represented a new development of the Art of War. It was made possible by the error committed by the Confederates with their offensive against the Tennessee, which left no adequate force to keep at bay Sherman Army.

The European strategist would take eighty years to find out that penetrate in the heart of the enemy country can achieve more decisive outcomes than lagging against secondary objectives. The military leaders who applied the same principles

in the WW2 were Guderian, Cerniakowsky, Bradley, Patton, Rommel etc.

Read more: Why_did_general_Sherman_conduct_the_devastating_march_to_sea

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10y ago

General Sherman's March to the Sea was based upon his commanding Officer, Ulysses S. Grant. He did not have the authority to abandon Atlanta and head for Savannah without orders from Grant.

Under orders and in plain common sense, the war could only be won if military options of the South were destroyed. Therefore, all items that could be of use to the Confederacy needed to be destroyed on his march to the sea.

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9y ago

To change the course of the war. Grant and Sherman both believed that it was the strength of the people's will that was keeping the war going.

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12y ago

Once there was a girl named Emily. she lived at the time of the civil war. it all started all April 12,1861 and ended on

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13y ago

To Destroy all their resources and to steal there weapons.

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12y ago

To make the southern states more weaker and deafeat them at once.

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Q: Why did Sherman and Grant want to wage total war?
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Why did the sherman's march want to split the confederacy in two?

It didn't split the Confederacy in two. It was a punitive raid of destruction that simply helped to destroy the Southern economy and starve the Confederate armies in the field. Splitting the Confederacy in two is what Grant (and Sherman) achieved earlier in the Siege of Vicksburg, which ended with the liberation of the Mississippi.


Why did President Lincoln want General Ulysses S. Grant to command the union army after the Battle of Gettysburg?

Lincoln knew that Grant would do anything to win the war.


Why would the north want to capture atlanta?

It did not want to, according to Grant's strategy, which was simply to destroy the two armies under Johnston and Lee. But when this still hadn't happened, month after month, and Lincoln's credibility was about to be tested in the 1864 Election, the capture of Atlanta was seen as the kind of victory that would reassure the Northern public. It did just that, and Lincoln crucially won his second term.


How did the Union secure a victory over the Confederacy?

1.) Union takes the Mississippi River. 2.) General Sherman's march through Georgia. 3.)Death of "Stone Wall" Jackson 4.)The Battle of Gettysburg. 5.)Lincoln found after firing sooo many generals that he finally found his man. I hoped I helped. I want to become a History teacher so if you think this answer is good ,please click on reccomended contributer button. Thanks.


What is the political structure of the southern colonies?

The early southern colonies were almost entirely agriculture instead of trade like the northern colonies. They were ruled by a Governor sent from England who followed rules from the planter class (the people who owned the land). Their political structure was a strong central government, much like they were used to from their lives in England.

Related questions

Why did Sherman grant want to wage total war?

To change the course of the war. Grant and Sherman both believed that it was the strength of the people's will that was keeping the war going.


Why did the Sherman and Grant want to wage total war?

To destroy the civilian infrastructure that supported the armies in the field. Sherman's March to the Sea wrecked farms and railroads, helping to starve the enemy troops. It shortened the war by months at almost nil casualties.


Why did Union generals US Grant and William T Sherman want to wage total war on the South?

Ironically, it was because Sherman had failed to carry out Grant's orders to destroy the Army of Tennessee, which had escaped from Atlanta into the mountains. Sherman was also increasingly worried about his long and vulnerable supply-line - a single-track railroad that was always being blown up by Confederate cavalry. So Sherman decided to 'exploit his limits' by turning South-east across Georgia, living off the land, conducting punitive raids on the farms, and wrecking the railroads, before liberating the blockade-runners' port of Savannah. This had the effect of starving the Confederate armies in the field and devastating civilian morale. It undoubtedly shortened the war by months.


Why did general Sherman want to use total war the south?

To Destroy all their resources and to steal there weapons.


What did Sherman want?

He saw a chance to wage psychological warfare by laying waste to rich farmland, at very little risk to his troops, destroying civilian morale as well as helping to starve the Confederate armies.


Why did the sherman's march want to split the confederacy in two?

It didn't split the Confederacy in two. It was a punitive raid of destruction that simply helped to destroy the Southern economy and starve the Confederate armies in the field. Splitting the Confederacy in two is what Grant (and Sherman) achieved earlier in the Siege of Vicksburg, which ended with the liberation of the Mississippi.


Which city in Georgia did Sherman want?

Atlanta.


i want to fill out a grant application?

can i get a grant application?


What was the rational given by General William T Sherman for the failure to entrench US Grant's forces at Shiloh?

General William T. Sherman headed the 5th Division of the Army of the Tennessee at the Battle of Shiloh. US Grant and his forces embarked from Union transport ships and landed at Pittsburg Landing on April 3, 1862. Most historians have written that Grant did not expect to encounter any enemy troops so there was no rush to dig entrenchments. Although this was not proper procedure, there would have been no issue concerning this accept for the unknown presence of Confederate troops which would engage Grant in battle on April 6, 1862. General Sherman, however, writes that entrenchment orders were not given because Grant did not want these fresh troops to be concerned about an immediate battle. He said the troops would be intimidated. This seems to be out of character for both generals.


What is the significance of sherman's atlanta campaign?

Grant had not been especially interested in capturing Atlanta. He had told Sherman simply to destroy the Army of Tennessee, and Sherman had failed to do this. Meanwhile the Confederates were attacking his long supply-line, and there was an election coming up, which Lincoln believed he would lose. For want of anything better to do, Sherman decided to capture Atlanta - an important rail junction - and this helped to restore Northern morale. The Army of Tennessee escaped into the mountains, hoping Sherman would abandon Atlanta in order to follow them. This was when Sherman decided to abandon his supply-line instead, and live off the land while crossing Georgia, destroying farms and railroads, and eventually liberating the port of Savannah.


What is the sexual orientation of Sherman Hensley?

Who is Sherman Hensley? Do you want to know the sexual orientation of a dead man named Sherman Hemsley? His orientation is "under 6 feet of dirt". Let it go.


I want to receive a grant for raising pheasants?

how can I apply for a grant for raising pheasants?