Sherman 's March to the Sea (also known as the Savannah Campaign) was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army. The campaign began with Sherman 's troops leaving the captured city of Atlanta on November 15 and ended with the capture of the port of Savannah on December 21. His forces followed a "scorched earth '' policy, destroying military targets as well as industry, infrastructure, and civilian property and disrupting the Confederacy 's economy and its transportation networks. The operation broke the back of the Confederacy and helped lead to its eventual surrender. Sherman 's bold move of operating deep within enemy territory and without supply lines is considered to be one of the major achievements of the war.
union general that marched from atlanta to savannah
Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman