Date of Battle: November 15th, 1864, until December 21st, 1864 ("Sherman's March" "n.d").

 

Where it happened: Started in Atlanta and ended in Savannah, Georgia ("Sherman's March" "n.d").

 

Union commander and his objectives: General William T. Sherman led the Union. His objective was to scare Georgia's people into abandoning the Confederate cause ("Sherman's March" "n.d").

 

Confederate commander and his objectives: Joesph E. Johnson lead the Confederate forces during a battle close to Atlanta. His objective was to stop the Union from advancing ("Alan Brinkley" 364).

 

Summary of Sherman's March: Union General William T. Sherman led over 60,000 men on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia.  The purpose was to frighten the people of Georiga into abandoning the Confederate cause. On September 2nd, Sherman and his men captured Atlanta. This was important because Atlanta was the industrial center of the Confederacy and generated key supplies for the Confederates. Atlanta was also in the middle of Charleston and the Gulf of Mexico, which were some of the unions prized targets, and was a symbol of Confederate pride. After securing Atlanta they began the March to Savannah and fought five major battles on the way. On December 21st, Sherman and his men reached Savannah, which was undefended when they got there ("Sherman's March" "n.d").

 

Winning side of Sherman's March: The Union won ("Sherman's March" "n.d").

 

Main political and strategic consequences of Sherman's march: The Confederacy lost moral and pride with the loss of Atlanta. The Union faced very little resistance on their march, which caused the Confederacy to lose important land and made them retreat further South. This made the Confederates unable to fight at full capacity because they had troops spread throughout the South ("Sherman's March" "n.d").

 

How Sherman's march was important to the outcome of the Civil War: Sherman's march caused the South to lose moral, made it impossible for the Confederates to fight at full capacity, and sped up the end of the war ("Sherman's March" "n.d").