It shattered civilian morale, which was the underpinning of the military effort.
It allowed Sherman to live off the land, and forget his vulnerable supply-line.
When the troops had taken all they could eat, they burned the rest and killed the livestock, helping to starve the Confederate armies.
Sherman's March to the Sea
Savannah
1864
March to Sea
Savannah
savannah
no one
From Atlanta to Savannah
Georgia
1864
Georgia
November and December (1864)