Sherman's March to the Sea as an example of modern warfare

A detailed Summary of Sherman's March to the Sea as an example of modern warfare

General William T. Sherman's March to the Sea was the first example of modern warfare. Both the destruction that Sherman instigated and his reasoning for doing it were seen before the Civil War. The tactics that Sherman used in his March to the Sea have been used in more recent wars as well as his ideas, truly making his March the beginning of modern warfare.

In past wars throughout the world, armies would throw themselves at each other, leaving the families at home to support them. Napoleon brought about the idea of total destruction of the enemy's army, which in turn would result in great losses of their own army. Even General Grant believed in this total destruction of the army. Grant was notorious for sending men into die, just to destroy the other army because, "although he rejected the Napoleonic glorification of the battle, he accepted a Napoleonic strategy of annihilation." (The American Way of War, Weigley, 141) Grant's attacks against the north were different in that he was not afraid to lose hundreds of men simply to beat the enemy because he saw that the Union greatly outnumbered the Confederacy army. Because the Confederacy army was so greatly outnumbered, General Grant simply had to "throw" his men at the

other army with victory almost inevitable. Also in past wars, the idea of total annihilation, as used by General Sherman, was not a totally new idea. In Europe the other countries depended on one another for certain supplies that were not avaliable in their own country so it would have made no logical sense to destroy the land of the enemy because it would essentially ruin their own economy as well. (Weigley, 149) Therefore, the old ways of fighting at the armies of the enemy was not enough to end wars quickly and effectively, and that's where General Sherman came in.

General William Tecumseh Sherman brought about a new way of fighting wars in that he did not simply attack the enemy's army. "Sherman's marches were not aimed at the enemy's resources alone...(they were intended) to get beyond the eney's economy, in the minds of the enemy people" (Weigley, 149). This new psychological warfare proved to be effective because, as General Sherman put it, "we can make war so terrible and make them so sick of war that generations pass away (before) they again appeal to it" or "to make Georgia howl" (War Letters, Carroll, 101). General Sherman, himself, did not agree with war, nor did he see the Civil War as many others around him did. "War is the remedy our enemies have chosen and I say let us give them what they want; not a word of argument, not a sign of let up, no cave in until we are whipped - or they are" (Carroll, 101). Since Sherman did not believe in war, he believed "that if the terror and destruction of war could be carried straight to the enemy people, they would lose their zest fro war, and lacking the people's support, the enemy's army would collapse under its own weight" (Weigley, 149). General Sherman believed that the war would go on for much

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Approximate Word count = 1196
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History