Follow the path (Barnwell, Charleston, Columbia, South Carolina) traveled by Union General William T. Sherman and his soldiers as they marched deep into the Confederacy during the final months of the Civil War. This one-hour documentary begins at Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, as Sherman and his 60,000 troops pressed toward Atlanta. Upon taking the vital Southern city, he started his infamous march to the sea, which culminated in the capture of Savannah, Georgia. He reportedly was so struck with the beauty of the coastal city that he ordered it spared and presented it to Abraham Lincoln as a "Christmas gift." But Sherman's troops had a different plan for the state of South Carolina. Going through the dense lowcountry swamps, the Union army trudged slowly toward the city where secession was born—Columbia, South Carolina. The program ends with the burning of Columbia and a firsthand look at the destruction of the city.
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In November 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman took his troops on a campaign through the South, in order to not only attack Confederate defenses, but to also disrupt the Confederate...
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General William Tecumseh Sherman’s defeat at Kennesaw Mountain made Sherman change his tactics from “direct” assaults to “indirect” assaults, towards Atlanta. Sherman ordered a flanking attack on...
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In order to confuse the Confederate forces, Sherman split his troops into two different directions, threatening Macon, to the West, or Savannah, to the East. Sherman’s forces left a swath of...
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Like he did in Georgia, Sherman moved his army around in South Carolina, in order to confuse the Confederate defenders. Possible targets for Sherman included Augusta, G.A., Charleston, S.C., or...
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By 1865, most Confederate soldiers did not have uniforms. Most wore clothes from home, instead of Confederate issued items. For Sherman’s troops, many Union soldiers wore articles from home as well...
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The governor of South Carolina reached out to General Robert E. Lee, for help with defending S.C. General Lee, already engaged with General Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia, could not provide any...
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When the fires finally died out, over one third of Columbia lay in ruins. Any government building, or any business which could provide aid to the Confederate war effort was destroyed. Civilians tried...
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Sherman’s campaign was considered a success in the North, but his personal life, and early days in the Civil War were racked with difficulties. After the war, Sherman became the commanding general of...