Sherman’s March to the Sea November 15 – December 22, 1864 Sherman’s March to the Sea In March of 1864, Lincoln appoints Ulysses Grant to lead the Union armies. Sherman’s March to the Sea Grant goes on rampage and puts Lee on the run. Sherman’s March to the Sea U.S. Army commander Ulysses S. Grant believed that the Civil War would end only if the Confederacy's strategic, economic, and psychological capacity for warfare were decisively broken. Sherman therefore applied the principles of scorched earth, ordering his troops to burn crops, kill livestock, consume supplies, and destroy civilian infrastructure along their path. Sherman’s March to the Sea Sherman orders the burning of Atlanta. Sherman’s March to the Sea Sherman’s March to the Sea Marches from Atlanta to Savannah. The march is 60 miles wide. Sherman’s March to the Sea Sherman’s March to the Sea Sherman’s men destroying a railroad. Sherman’s March to the Sea Sherman’s Neckties Bummers Sherman’s March to the Sea After Sherman reaches Savannah, he heads north to meet Grant in Virginia. Left 20,000 square miles destroyed. Sherman’s March to the Sea