Sherman's March

Paper Summary:

The paper describes Sherman's vicious and destructive campaign to dismantle the forces of Confederate resistance along the 300 mile march to the sea. The paper shows how President Lincoln needed Sherman's march to be as effective and destructive as possible in order to dismantle the psychological and physical tie that kept the southern people and its army holding out against the Union forces. The paper illustrates the violence involved but concludes that Sherman's march was both militarily and psychologically necessary to bring about a close to the war.

Outline:
Introduction
The Need to Succeed
The March to the Sea
In Summary

From the Paper:

"In September, 1864, when Atlanta fell into the hands of the Union's General William T. Sherman, the march to the coast, especially the last five miles of that march, would prove the most difficult faced by Sherman's Union forces during their 300 mile long march through the south. "Sherman's march," or the "march to the sea," which has become historically synonymous with a 300 mile path of death and mindless destruction inflicted upon the Confederate Army, southern civilians, and refugee-slaves by the advancing Union Army under the direction of General Sherman; was in fact not just a strategic victory, but a psychological victory for the Union Army, and served as a turning point in the American Civil War."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bailey, A. J. (2000). The Chessboard of War: Sherman and Hood in the Autumn Campaigns of 1864. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24198491
• Bailey, A. J. (2002). Atlanta Will Fall: Sherman, Joe Johnston, and the Yankee Heavy Battalions. Journal of Southern History, 68(4), 960+. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002502757
• Bailey, A. J. (2004). Legacy of Disunion: The Enduring Significance of the American Civil War. Journal of Southern History, 70(3), 696+. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5006734604
• Birdseye, J. H. (2004). War and Ruin: William T. Sherman and the Savannah Campaign. Journal of Southern History, 70(1), 161+. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002583787
• Hallock, J. L. (1996). 6 Memoirs, Diaries, and Letters. In The American Civil War: A Handbook of Literature and Research, Higham, R. & Woodworth, S. E. (Eds.) (pp. 59-72). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14877647

More papers on Sherman's March:

• Term Paper # 143382 : "Sherman's March To The Sea"
• Essay # 16258 : "William T. Sherman"
• Essay # 34467 : "William Tecumseh Sherman"

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