Date: Six weeks begining December 1864-1865.

 

Where: Atlanta to Savannah, north through South Carolina and into North Carolina.

 

Union Commander: William T. Sherman was the commander of the union forces -wanted to deprive the Confenderate forces of materials and make it so that they had no railway communications. He planned to burn towns and plantations throughout the South so that the morale of the Southern people was broken. He did not want another battle where countless people died, so he focused on wearing down the southerners psychologically. He had a vision of "hard war" (Marszalek, civilwar.org) and knew he couldn't remain in Atlanta, so he set off on his famous "march to the sea".

 

Confederate Commander: Lt. General John Bell Hood in Atlanta, Lt. General William J. Hardee in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, General Gustarvs Smith and Joseph Wheeler "who managed to harass Sherman's marchers" (Marszalek, civilwar.org).
 

Summary: William T. Sherman led the union forces, after the destruction of Atlanta, they continue to move on to March to the Sea, where happened in Savannah. He was more like played the defend war and waited for a chance to attack rather than initiative to attack the conferderate. 

 

Who won: Union.

 

This was battle important to the outcome of the Civil War because it was a psychological war of destruction on the South.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation. McGraw Hill, 6th ed, 2010. p. 365-366.

Marszalek, John F. "Scorched Earth: Sherman's March to the Sea." civilwar.org.

Nevin, David. Sherman's March: Atlanta to the Sea. Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1986. p. 188-189.

Picture: http://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/civil_war/sidebars/sherman.html