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15 November in military history: Sherman's March to the Sea begins, 1864

Military history · 15 November · American Civil WarFull calendar

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Sherman's soldiers in slouch hats and dark coats destroying the railroad in Atlanta, 1864, two men levering up a rail beside loose ties, smoke drifting and a brick house with a cupola behind
Atlanta, Georgia: Sherman's men destroying the railroad, photographed by George N. Barnard in 1864. Public domain. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division (LC-DIG-cwpb-03394).
Quick answer

On 15 November 1864 Major General William T. Sherman's Union army, some 60,000 men, marched out of Atlanta and set off across Georgia toward the Atlantic. It abandoned its supply line, lived off the land and wrecked railroads and farms along its path, meeting only weak resistance, and took Savannah on 21 December.

Sherman's March to the Sea

15 November to 21 December 1864 · 161 years ago

Sherman left Chattanooga, which the Union had held through the siege that followed its defeat at Chickamauga, in early May 1864 with about 110,000 men, in step with Ulysses S. Grant's offensive in Virginia.

Read the full story of Sherman's March to the Sea ›

Frequently asked questions

When did Sherman's March to the Sea begin and end?

It began when Sherman's army left Atlanta on 15 November 1864 and ended with the surrender of Savannah on 21 December 1864.

How large was Sherman's army on the march?

About 60,000 men according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, or 62,000 according to the American Battlefield Trust, in two wings with a cavalry screen.

Why did Sherman march to the sea?

To destroy the South's means of making war and to break the will of Confederate civilians to keep fighting, by showing that their government could not protect them.

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