Transcript Sherman`s March to the Sea PowerPoint

Sherman’s March to the Sea:
 Atlanta fell to
Sherman's Army
in early
September 1864.
On November 15,
1864, General
Sherman gave
orders to burn all
public buildings,
machine shops,
depots, and
arsenals.
Ruins of the
Confederate
Enginehouse, Showing
the Engines "Telegraph"
and "O.A. Bull" - Atlanta,
GA, September 1864
Sherman’s March to the Sea:
 Sherman's "scorched
earth" campaign began
on November 15th. It
was the Civil War's
most destructive
campaign against a
civilian population. It
concluded in Savannah
on December 21, 1864.
Sherman’s March to the Sea:
 Plantations were burned. Crops were
destroyed and stores of food were pillaged.
In the wake of his progress to the sea he left
numerous "Sherman sentinels" (the
chimneys of burnt out houses) and
"Sherman neckties" (railroad rails that had
been heated and wrapped around trees.).
"Sherman's
Sentinels”:
Only the
chimneys
stand after
a visit by
Sherman's
Army
Sherman’s Neckties Video
IN THIS VIDEO FROM SAVE OUR HISTORY, WE SEE HOW
SHERMAN WOULD RIP UP THE RAILROADS AND TWIST THE
RAILS INTO BOWTIES. WATCH THIS GREAT VIDEO TO SEE A
REENACTMENT FILMED AT FORT MCALLISTER IN RICHMOND
HILL!!
Let’s track his movements from
December 8th – December 21st
Think about it:
•About 62,000
Union troops
•A path of
destruction
60 miles wide and
300 miles long
Sherman’s Map to the Sea:
December 8, 1864:
On the night of Dec. 8, 1864,
Maj. Gen. W.T. Sherman, USA,
was established here at Zion
Church. Headquarters of the
Right Wing was at Eden (3 mi.
SW). Headquarters of Left Wing
was at Springfield (12 mi. N).
(Yes! Across from the Marlow
Learning Center. Just down the
road…)
December 9, 1864:
On Dec. 9, 1864, Gen.
Sherman`s army, which was
closing in on Savannah,
advanced to Pooler after
suffering losses through the
day from artillery mounted
on RR flat cars, torpedoes
planted on the roads, and
the stubborn resistance of
the Confederate infantry.
By evening Pooler had been
seized.
That night, Gen. Sherman
established headquarters in
Pooler.
December 9, 1864:
Also on December 9, 1864:
Sherman’s Troop’s were at Ebenezer Creek:
Why ?
Sometime in November of 1864, Union General William T.
Sherman was told of a Confederate prisoner of war camp
located near Millen, Georgia. Sherman vowed to free his
comrades and ordered his troops to begin marching South
towards the camp.
However, before Sherman arrived in Millen, Georgia, the
Confederate troops stationed there were made aware of his
approach. As a result, when Sherman entered the camp a
month later, he found it deserted. Sherman ordered the entire
camp burned to the ground. He next ordered his troops to
continue moving south in pursuit of the Confederates who
had deserted the camp.
As Sherman’s troops continued south, they began to attract a large
number of slaves. Sherman’s troops represented a chance for
freedom. Soon, entire slave families began gathering up their
possessions and following the Union troops. There are reports
that by the time the soldiers reached Ebenezer Swamp there were
over 2,000 slaves with them (some think that 5,000 may be a low
count).
Upon reaching the area
surrounding Ebenezer Swamp,
Union troops found that the
heavy rains caused the
riverbanks to overflow,
washing away the roads. It was
also discovered that
Confederate soldiers had
destroyed the bridge over
Ebenezer Creek, which was the
only way to cross the swamp.
Davis began to worry that the large number of slaves would slow
his troops’ progress. Davis gave orders that the slaves were to
stand aside and wait until the Union troops had all safely crossed
a newly constructed pontoon bridge.
As instructed, the slaves stood silently and waited for their turn.
As soon as the last of his men were safely across, Davis ordered
the bridge destroyed.
Upon seeing the bridge collapse, fear raced through the crowd
of slaves gathered at the water’s edge. They had all heard the
horror stories from other slaves and were convinced that if the
Confederate Army captured them, they would be killed. And so,
one by one, thousands of men, women and children jumped
into the raging water in a last-ditch attempt at freedom.
It is estimated that 600 slave drowned in the freezing water.
December 13, 1864:
As Sherman’ s troops approached Savannah they sorely required supplies. Sherman
determined that if he could take Fort McAllister, supply ships could reach him. Thus, he
ordered his right wing, to take the fort. In the afternoon of December 13, 1864, upon giving
the order to attack, his men rushed forward through the various obstacles prepared for
them, entered the fort, and captured it. With his supply line open, Sherman could now
prepare for the siege and capture of Savannah.
This park is
home to the
bestpreserved
earthwork
fortification
of the
Confederacy.
GENERAL HAZEN'S DIVISION STORMING FORT McALLISTER,
DECEMBER 13, 1864.—SKETCHED BY THEODORE R. DAVIS
On December 21, 1864: Sherman enters Savannah
GENERAL SHERMAN'S ARMY ENTERING SAVANNAH, GEORGIA,
DECEMBER 21, 1864. -- SKETCHED BY THEODORE R. DAVIS.
Do you think the buildings in
that drawing still stand today?
The US Customhouse was
built in 1848-1852 on the site
of the first public building in
Savannah. It is located at 1 E
Bay St in Savannah, GA.
On December 21, 1864: Sherman enters Savannah
US Customhouse
Savannah City Hall on Bay St. is a
massive gray-stone building. It was
built in 1905 to replace a building
built in 1799.
Before there was City Hall, there was
the City Exchange, which for over onehundred years was the political,
commercial and social center of the
City of Savannah.
On December 21, 1864: Sherman enters Savannah
City Exchange
US Customhouse
Hoping to protect his home and his cotton from destruction when
Union General William T. Sherman’s army drew near in December
of 1864, Mr. Green rode out to meet the Union commander and
invited the Civil War commander to “use his home while in
Savannah."
Shortly after his arrival at Green’s home, Sherman sat down and
penned his famous telegram to President Lincoln:
“I beg to present you as a Christmas-gift the city of Savannah, with
one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, also
about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton.”