In Defense of Scorched Earth

Paper Summary:

In the paper, using Sun Tzu's "Art of War", the writer defends W.T. Sherman's 'March to the Sea'. It explains that this march was especially brutal because it burned and destroyed much of the Georgian countryside, but ultimately ended the Civil War.

From the Paper:

"The concept is deceptively simple. It's apparent brutality belies the possibilities of what it is capable of accomplishing. Scorched earth (or "Total War" as Sherman puts it), one of the world's most reviled tactics, is by far the best mode of battle available to any commander, past present or future. One such commander was William T. Sherman, of the Union army in the Civil War. W.T. Sherman did what generals only wished they could do, take Atlanta, a task which at the time was considered one of the most difficult cities to take in the Confederacy. However, he did not want to merely take one of their most important cities, he sought to end the war, and he did so. Scorched earth is one of the most valuable tactics available to any commander, and thus it should be used in any and all instances possible, Sherman used it on his march, Sun-Tzu advocates it in his Art of War, and it helped end the Civil War."

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