Sherman’s March & Total War

What is Total War?

• Waging war against all citizens

• Destroying crops
• Tearing up railroads /
communication
• Burning entire cities
• Strangling the population through
destruction
• Foraging and stealing to survive
 Grant to Sheridan:
“Leave nothing to invite the enemy
to return. Destroy whatever
cannot be consumed. Let the
valley be left so that crows flying
over it will have to carry their
rations along with them.”
How did the North Wage this War?
• General U.S. Grant wanted to end the war
quickly
• ordered Sheridan to destroy the
Shenandoah valley (Virginia)
• ordered Sherman to capture Atlanta and
then march all the way to the coast
• Burned, Destroyed, Pillaged the south
along the way
 What were the lasting effects?
• Destroyed the southern economy
• Scared and angered southern whites
• Citizens suffered the same hardships as
soldiers
• Created a cycle of poverty in the south still
today
• Destruction in
Savannah,
GA