USA HISTORY

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR(1861 1865)

SHERMANS MARCH TO THE SEA

[SOURCES]
During the Atlanta Campaign, did the Union or the Confederacy have more troops? (Slide 43)

(A) ** Union

(B) Confederacy

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -Of the 34, 863 Union troops engaged at the Battle of Atlanta, 3, 722 were killed, wounded, captured, or reported missing. Confederate forces suffered an estimated 5, 500 casualties (of 40, 438 engaged).

Concept note-2: -The Union victory in the largest battle of the Atlanta Campaign led to the capture of that critical Confederate city and opened the door for Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s most famous operation-the March to the Sea and the capture of Savannah.

Concept note-3: -On August 28, 1864, Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman lays siege to Atlanta, Georgia, a critical Confederate hub, shelling civilians and cutting off supply lines. The Confederates retreated, destroying the city’s munitions as they went.

Concept note-4: -Sherman’s goal was to destroy the Army of the Tennessee, capture Atlanta and cut off vital Confederate supply lines. While Sherman failed to destroy his enemy, he was able to force the surrender of Atlanta in September 1864, boosting Northern morale and greatly improving President Abraham Lincoln’s re-election bid.