William T. Sherman Essay Outline

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Who is William T. Sherman? William T. Sherman was a Union Army leader in the US Civil War. He is known for “Sherman’s March to the Sea”. This march was designed to crush the spirit of the south. It was also to frighten Georgia’s civilians into leaving the confederacy. Sherman was born in Lancaster, Ohio on February 8, 1820. He was one of eleven children. He was also the sixth generation of Shermans to become a lawyer. Sherman attended college at The United States Military Academy Preparatory school. Sherman was nine years old when his father died unexpectedly. This left his family poor. A family friend raised Sherman. His name was Thomas Ewing and he was also an Ohio senator. William attended the United States Military Academy at West Point …show more content…

Many people have heard of this event, and this is what William T. Sherman is known for. From November 15 until December 21, 1864, Sherman led 60,000 soldiers on a 285 mile march from Atlanta to Savannah. Sherman and his soldiers used the Scorched Earth Policy. The Scorched Earth Policy means destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy. His soldiers stole livestock, crops, and other things. Sherman thought this was a consequence of war that was deserved for the secession of the south. Civilian homes were destroyed, but most of the destruction was focused on railroads and things that were crucial to the war. When they got to Savannah, Sherman gave the city to Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas gift. Savannah was the last stop in the march. The march was over on December 10, 1864. During the march there were an estimated 3,100 casualties. About 2,100 of these casualties were union soldiers. William T. Sherman’s purpose of this march was to crush the south’s spirit. It was also meant to frighten Georgians to abandon the confederate cause. Sherman believed that there was only one way to end the war, and this was to make the southern civilians feel the consequences of

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