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Question: Why was Shernan's March through Georgia an important event in history!?
Why was it important in the Civil War!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


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For one thing, they marched through big cities, burning them down as they went through!. It broke the spirt of the South!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Sherman's March through Georgia and then the Carolines destroyed much of the industry that was located in Georgia for producing war materials, or substinance for the soldiers of the Confederacy!. It was 'Total War' - not only fighting the soldiers in the fields, but destroying any infrastructure, and sapping the will of the soldiers who were fighting elsewhere!.

It proved that the Confederacy was unable to defend Georgia, it lead to the destruction of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, and it was the cause for further desertions among the Confederate soldiers in the east!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

He essentially declared war on civilians as well as the military!. Southern farms supplied the food that kept the armies in the field; Sherman marched through Georgia from Atlanta to Savannah burning those farms, starving the people and the army!. He also destroyed anything that could be at all useful to the war effort (gun factories, blacksmith's forges, clothing mills, etc!.)!. It was basically terrorism, but Sherman was of the opinion that if you make the civilians scream (he actually said "I will make Georgia howl") then the destruction to morale and supplies will end the war sooner and actually save lives and suffering!.
He also went "incommunicado" for two months, which was a first for a major army, meaning that for about two months he had no supply lines (he "lived off the land", meaning stole what he needed from farms along the way) and was seldom in contact with Washington D!.C!. or other armies!. Most of the time they had no idea of where he was other than "somewhere in south Georgia"!.
also, it inspired many novels and stories, most importantly GONE WITH THE WIND!. It is also used as a sign of why the South and the North still have major problems in getting along- the complete ruthlessness was seen as barbarian (especially since Lee had threatened to shoot any southern soldiers who destroyed or stole civilian property in Pennsylvania)!.
It had the desired effect- it terrified the south and helped end the war!. It's ironic, though, that Georgia did not suffer half as bad as South Carolina- he was in a rush to get to Savannah and also afraid of everything from the swamps to the ambush by rebels and it was winter!. When he got to South Carolina in early 1865 he
1- had more time, more men, and more confidence
2- had seen the prisoners from Andersonville and other prisons and was very righteously p!.o!.d at the south
3- had a special grudge against South Carolina as the first state to secede
4- was in a terrible mental state; on his first day in Savannah he was brought a Union newspaper that had an obituary of his young son- the second son he lost during the war to disease; he'd had no way of knowing the child was even sick!. This put him in a depression that made him even angrier!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You haven't really considered why other battles in the civil war are also significant in history!. Sherman's March to the Sea, or the burning of Atlanta was to seize the heart of the Confederate capital, Atlanta, Georgia!. By doing this, the Union has a greater advantage in the Confederate's defeat!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It isn't if you were not there to experience it for yourself!. By remembering it, you continue the cycle of behavior by comparing the past to today's events and repeating historic behavior patterns of thought!.Www@QuestionHome@Com