How Does Sherman's Use Of Total War

Prior to ordering the evacuation of Atlanta in preparation for his march, General William T.Sherman wrote to the mayor and city council of Atlanta stating,

“You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out. I know I had no hand in making this war, and I know I will make more sacrifices to-day than any of you to secure peace.”

This quote explains the concept of “Total War”, a military conflict in which the parties involved devote themselves to sacrificing, or doing anything to completely win a war (“Sherman’s March”). As Sherman explained in that quote, this notion of fighting ‘all out’ benefited

For instance, it ended the Civil War in a more timely manner, and helped the United States to evolve as a country. Following the loss at the battle in Atlanta, and receiving clearance from General Ulysses S. Grant, Sherman and his troops headed west into Chattanooga, Tennessee, where they suspended supply and communication lines for the Union troops, and created “Sherman’s Neckties”, or paths to derail trains. Sherman split up his troops and brought approximately 62,000 men on a 285 mile march from Atlanta, Georgia to Savannah, Georgia, in an effort to “frighten Georgia’s civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause” (Sherman’s March”). The march succeeded in not only frightening the civilian population, but also in lowering the southern morale. To explain, seeing their towns destroyed wrecked havoc on the confidence the southern population to win the war. Sherman “wrecked bridges, chopped down trees, and burned barns with provisions before the

To demonstrate, it prevented another Civil War from ever happening again, and thus united the country. This is because when Sherman used this tactic in his March to the Sea, he quelled the issue so forcefully that the North and South would always remember it. Sherman stole everything, and if he could not take it, he burned it. He raided plantations, stole food, and committed rapes, proving to the South that this would be the last Civil War among the United States. Besides evolving the United States to unite, the Civil War also brought progressive movements towards blacks. For instance, from Savannah to Jacksonville, Sherman destroyed anyone and everything in his path. However, after the Reconstruction period, he utilized that prime real estate to build black towns. Sherman’s actions demonstrate that instead of using the land for himself, he used his “Total War” tactics in an attempt to help his country and society