Sherman Dbq

If you ask any historian the most hated person in the civil war was, they would probably say General William T. Sherman. His March to the Sea destroy hundreds of miles of land and destroyed the Confederates will to fight. He was one of the most brutal Generals there were, but he was also one of the most successful. He went from colonel to major general in just a few years. While he was still just colonel, he first saw action at The First Battle of Bull Run, where he performed rather well, and even got the attention of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln got Sherman a position as brigadier general. He was then sent to Kentucky, where he served until his apparent mental breakdown. Sherman began way, way overestimating the enemy forces and requested so many reinforcements he lost his title as Brig. Gen. and was sent to …show more content…
Sherman was given control of the district of Tennessee, but when Grant was promoted, Sherman assumed the position as commander of the army of Tennessee. When Grant was promoted, he gave Sherman the position of supreme command in the west. With nearly 100,000 troops and 254 cannons, Sherman began his campaign to capture Atlanta. He was met with opposition from Joe Johnston, but was not able to defeat him. Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, did not think Johnston would be able to stop Sherman, so he had him replaced with the more aggressive John Hood. Hood, however, was even more unsuccessful at stopping Sherman and Sherman captured Atlanta on Sept. 1, 1864. Sherman declared Atlanta to be a military base and ordered all of the civilians to leave. Hood made many attacks, but with Sherman on the defensive, Hood could not penetrate into the city. Sherman wanted to split the Confederacy, so he began to plan his March to the Sea. Sherman took about 60,000 of his most seasoned troops, and sent the rest with general George Thomas. Sherman set out the rules like