Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
Main elements of William T. Sherman’s Federal armies arrive on the outskirts of Savannah after cutting a path of destruction through Georgia from Atlanta to the sea. Sherman resolves to lay siege to the city, while Confederates work desperately to fortify defenses.
Federal and Confederate cavalry forces clash for several days as William T. Sherman’s Federal march to the sea seems unstoppable.
William T. Sherman’s Federal march through Georgia resumes, as does the destruction and desolation left in the soldiers’ wake. This prompts reassessment by Confederate leadership regarding their defensive capabilities.
William T. Sherman enters the capital of Georgia and sees that his Federals have already begun laying waste to the town. The arrival of starving prisoners intensifies the Federals’ resolve for destruction.
John Bell Hood finally begins moving his Confederate army in a desperate effort to destroy the Federal armies in Tennessee and then continue north into Kentucky and beyond.
Georgia Governor Joseph E. Brown issues a proclamation urging all able-bodied men between the ages of 16 and 55 to form militias and oppose William T. Sherman’s Federal march through the state.