Southern Storm: Sherman's March to the Sea

by Noah Andre Trudeau

Book Overview

Award-winning Civil War historian Noah Andre Trudeau has written a gripping, definitive new account that will stand as the last word on General William Tecumseh Sherman's epic march--a targeted strategy aimed to break not only the Confederate army but an entire society as well. With Lincoln's hard-fought reelection victory in hand, Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the Union forces, allowed Sherman to lead the largest and riskiest operation of the war...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060598670
• ISBN13: 9780060598679
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 688 Pages
• Weight: 2.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

You get to join the left and right wings in the march from Atlanta to the taking of Savannah

Sherman's so-called "March to the Sea" is the stuff of American legend. The popular view of it as Total War with the goal of attacking civilians is utterly wrong. Nor was it, as Sherman later claimed, a mere relocation of headquarters from Atlanta to a port on the sea at Savannah. Noah Andre Trudeau takes us through the entire campaign including its origins, and a very detailed and almost day-by-day and mile-by-mile process of Sherman's forces through the forests and swamps of Georgia in November and December of 1864. The campaign had a general intention, but not a detailed plan. Sherman's forces were 60,000 strong and hand sufficient food and arms to keep those men fed and armed for more than a month, if need be. The line of marching troops and hundreds of wagons were miles long. At the end, the supplies remained almost completely in tact because of the extensive foraging activities. Sixty-thousand men will eat an enormous amount of food each day and it is these foraging activities that caused most of the destruction of civilian goods. While there were some cities along the way that bore the brunt of Sherman's anger, for example the town of Millen near Camp Lawton, a Confederate prison camp for Union soldiers, was ordered destroyed in a "tenfold more devilish" manner than the commander of the Seventeenth Corps had ever dreamed of. Most of the time, guards were put around the homes and the civilians were protected in their homes and the property in the homes was left in tact. However, many of these people had hidden their goods outside and those, when found, were taken by the soldiers. The citizens were left very vulnerable when their yams, pigs, beeves, horses, and other goods usable by Sherman's army were taken. These people couldn't simply go and get food at a nearby store and their neighbors surely suffered a similar fate. So, yes, there was terrible civilian hardship after such a large army passed through. But the notion that there was a continuous path of burning and murder from Atlanta to the sea is fantastically overblown. One of the interesting aspects of this campaign is the hundreds and thousands of slaves who left their homes to free themselves and follow the army. However, the army told them to go back home because the army could not and would not provide for them. At times, the army pulled up its pontoons and bridges immediately after crossing to leave slaves on the bank and unable to cross. Yet, many still found ways to cross (some probably drowned) and stayed with the army. Later some were used as laborers to lay corduroy (split logs laid crossways over the road) to enable the army to pass over mud. The Confederate forces were quite ineffective in trying to stand against or even harass Sherman's army. The author places most of the blame for this on Jefferson Davis's empowering separate armies without a central command. The various commanders did not have sufficient force to do any more than sting Sherma

Southern Storm: Marching through Georgia with Uncle Billy Sherman and his army of bummers in 1864

William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891)was along with US Grant the commander who won the Civil War for the United States. Noah Andre Trudeau, author of several outstanding books on the Civil War, has published this long book on the famous Sherman March to the Sea which transpired from November 15, 1864 to the capture of Savannah in December 1864. Trudeau has assembled a vast array of first person letters, the Official Records, primary and secondary books and maps to chronicle in detail this amazing odyssey against a faltering and soon to be defeated Confederacy. Sherman achieved victory in the bloody Atlanta Campaign capturing that important city in September 1864. In November his rested, well equipped and well fed army launched out towards the southeast to plunder, punish, burn and destroy all who might stand in their way on the trip to the coast Sherman's blue clad troopers would be asked to forsake long supply lines by foraging off the rich stores to be found in Georgia. Sherman's 60.000 men, thousands of mules and horses along with wagons was divided into two huge wings led by General OO Howard leading the right wing and Henry Slocum the commander of the left wing. These men were good subordinates to Sherman. The campaign was well planned and executed. It has become a template of how a campaign can be organized. They were oppossed by fighting Joe Wheeler and his cavalry force which proved ineffective against the blue clad snake that was Sherman and his forces. Beaureguard was the overall rebel commander but proved inept in marshalling the Georgia State Militia and troops to defeat the Yankees. Trudeau divides his book into the following sections: a. Atlanta to Milledgville (then the state capital) November 15-24 b. Milledgeville to Millen-November 30-December 4th c. Millen to Savannah-December 5-30 d. Savannah-Dec. 11, 1864-January 21, 1865 In an unusual and effective format Trudeau looks in detail at each day of the march through the eyes of soldiers on both sides, civilians, African-Americans and government and military officials. This gives us a new perspective on the march. These accounts run the gamut from the humorous to the tragic. Trudeau also does well portraying the thought, fears and hopes of the thousands of African-American slaves liberated by the Yankees. It is clear from reading this book that: a. it was no cakewalk! Every day the men of Sherman's army faced constant sniping from the enemy and outraged citizens, rain, mud, cold and recalcitrant mules and horses. Destroying railroads was not an easy task. b. Southern leaders did not know where Sherman was heading when he left the Gate City of Atlanta. Macon? Augusta? Savannah? No one knew for sure until the Ohioan left Millen beaded for Atlanta. Sherman was left free to roam through Dixie as Confederate General John Bell Hood had swung his forces north towards Tennessee where he was soundly whipped by Union General George Thomas in the battle of Nashville in Decem

Comparing Southern Storm with Eye Witness Account

I have copies of the diaries of Martin Curtis Tyler who served with the pontoon train in the right wing of Sherman's army as part of Company E Fourteenth Wisconsin. On Friday December 9,1864 he wrote " We have traveled through a pine forest all day, the forage is scarce and we have only got 1 load of corn and the mules only get 4 ears of corn each night. We got no sweet potatoes & the 25 Wisconsin was sent from our PT train for stealing ours last night. We came 14 miles & was brought to a halt at 3pm & turned off the road to the right & 1 1/4 mile to the Ogeeche River & laid the PT to let the troops cross that came on the other side of the river & they will not be here until tomorrow morn." If you compare this to Trudeau's description of action on the same day, you can appreciate the work involved in combining the accounts of numerous diaries so that an accurate and consistent description is given of the march. Trudeau gives a very useful overview of the march while providing enough detail to identify the daily account in individual diaries. If you think the book is dull and tedious then you should read one of the diaries to understand that the daily life of the troops was dull and tedious. There are few cheering crowds, a lot of mud that the wagons had to be pushed through and a very uncertain supply of food and clothing. Thank you Noah Trudeau for an honest account of the march to the sea and those responsible for carrying out the necessary work. Marcia Roth

An American Epic

Sherman's March to the Sea is a simple story. Hood took off for Tennessee, Wheeler presented no real threat and Confederate leadership dithered. For the men it was a long walk in the sun with ample food taken from the local population. In the process, they tore the heart out of Georgia and broke the moral of the Confederacy. Given such a simple story, how could anyone write a 688-page book that is worth reading? Noah Andre Trudeau is one of our best authors with a number of excellent books and prestigious awards. His writing style conveys large amounts of information in a readable manner that makes large books easy to read. This skill helps the reader by keeping the story fresh and interesting in this very detailed account of the campaign. The book opens with an explanation of how Sherman came up with the idea for the campaign and how he talked Thomas, Grant & Lincoln, via Halleck, into approving it. The author says the Meridian Mississippi Campaign provided the idea for The March. I feel that he should have gone back to Grant's Vicksburg Campaign for the idea. The Mississippi Campaign may have proven living off the land is practical but the Vicksburg Campaign started the idea. This is a minor point and subject to debate. The second and equally major idea is the role of civilians in the Southern war effort. The author gives us a detailed description of Sherman's ideas on this subject and how they developed during the course of the war. The selling of his idea presents a side of Sherman we seldom see. Here is an accomplished administrator at his best. Alternating assuring Thomas, watching Hood and explaining things to Grant & Halleck, step by step the project is approved. The heart of the book is the daily chapters, where the activities of all major formations are detailed. Each chapter has a map, showing weather, marching routes and population centers. This daily map keeps the reader in the story and located in Georgia. Gradually, we see how the march is developing and can trace the major formations' progress. This is a major benefit and one of the books strongest points. In addition to the daily map, any significant fighting has a map too. I want to congratulate HarperCollins Publishing for not stinting on this critical item. They have taken a very good book and made it a great one by including these maps. Sherman's major formations are the Left Wing, the Right Wing and the Cavalry. Depending on the situation, independent detachments appear as required. The work is marching, destruction and foraging. Each day, miles must be covered, food must be found, regulations enforced, infrastructure destroyed and Confederate forces kept at bay. Very quickly, we come to appreciate how complex this campaign is. The rank & file is required to make a huge effort each day. Protecting the wagon train may be the most wearing duty. Encumbered by the slow moving wagons, mud, poor roads and hills these men alternately stand and r