There were
two main purposes for
General William T. Shermans March to the Sea through Georgia. One was a
traditional military purpose while the other was more of a total war
purpose.
Total war is a term that refers to conflict in
which all parts of a society are seen as
fair game. Armies do not simply
attack other armies or military objectives. Instead, they do
things like
destroying civilian infrastructure that could be used to support the enemys
war
effort. In Shermans case, the goal was to wreck everything in his path
so it could not be used
to help the Confederate army. For this reason, he
destroyed railroad tracks and factories and
either consumed or destroyed
crops.
There was also a more traditional
military aspect
to the march. General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy was under siege in
Virginia. If Sherman marched to the sea, he could turn up the coast and put more
pressure on
Lee. At the very least, he could occupy Southern troops that
might otherwise come to try to
lift the siege of Lee.
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