History Talk - A Force to be Reckoned With: Union Army Soldiers and Southern Civilians During Sherman’s March

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Library of Congress

"Sherman's March to the Sea," by F.O.C. Darley, c. 1883

Between November 1864 and April 1865, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and his Army wreaked havoc on the land and people of Georgia and the Carolinas. Their goal: to make the South — its army and its citizens — regret seceding from the Union. Along the way, Sherman’s men had countless interactions with Southern civilians — some good, some bad, and some surprising.

As they combed along the countryside, Soldiers’ determination for retribution was matched only by Southerners’ refusal to cower. Using the diaries, letters, and memoirs of Union Army Soldiers and southern civilians, this History Talk will trace Sherman’s troop movements as they left Atlanta, traveled to Savannah, and eventually captured Columbia.