Why did general Sherman and general Grant want to wage a total war?

Answer 1

Sherman used total war tactics because it broke down the society of the war, it also destroyed the economy and helped bring the war to and end. Sherman pretty much said, don't mess with the union.

Sherman knew that the soldiers received support and encouragement from the civilians back at home. The Confederates could go on fighting as long as they received food and supplies from those back at home. He wanted to destroy the will to fight for both the soldiers and the civilians. Soldiers did not want to fight if they were worried that their homes would be destroyed or their families were suffering.

Answer 2

The purpose of the Total War Strategy was to wreck the economy of the Confederacy, and put a quick end to the war. The Union knew it had the advantage in terms of men and money. While northern farms had continued to produce food, the southerners had allowed greed to determine what was grown. As a result, breaking down the railroads in the south, meant that many of the soldiers as well as the civilians were hungry. The Union had also ended the prisoner of war exchange, because they came to realize that the release of prisoners, was allowing the South to go on fighting.

Answer 3

During the American Civil War, the Union General William T. Sherman opted for "total war" against the South for several reasons. For one thing, it promised to be a decisive factor in bringing the South into surrender, especially since the South had no substantial force with which to oppose his army's "March to the Sea." For another thing, he had already engaged in this form of attack against the South in 1863, when occupying Mississippi, and its results were decisive in favor of the Union cause.

Answer 4

Because it was the quickest way to bring the war to an end.

Grant ended the system of prisoner-exchange, knowing that the Confederates would run out of manpower, and meanwhile told Sheridan and Sherman to attack the Southern economy by burning farms and wrecking railroads.

Not only did they burn utilities but they burned everything they saw. Churches, stores, homes, saloons, and even people. The idea was to break the will of the Southern forces.

Answer 5

It wasn't Union General Sherman's policy to attack Southern civilians. Under orders from his commanding officer, General Grant, and with the tacit approval of US President Lincoln, Sherman brought forth a scorched earth battle tactic. On Sherman's March to the Sea, his soldiers were under strict orders not to enter into anyone's home. But. however, they were allowed to live off the land and destroy farmlands and livestock, along with buildings that might be used by the Confederacy.

In all likelihood, some soldiers stepped over those orders and took advantage of civilians by stealing valuables and by killing livestock and produce made life miserable to innocent people, people who were not directly in the war.

This caused some controversy as "total war" was never practiced by the South. In fact, to this day Sherman, Grant & Lincoln have been criticized for the so-called scorched earth battle tactics. Many historians do not believe they were necessary.

As for healing the nation after the war, the March to the Sea was a hindrance.

Answer 6

General Sherman did not use "total war" against the South. He did destroy or confiscate any type of supplies that could be used by Confederate armies to continue fighting. Military historians use the term of strategy or tactics of exhaustion to describe Sherman's incursion into the deep South. To amplify this, an example of exhaustion would be to burn farmlands and food storage barns. This would therefore "exhaust" the supplies and also exhaust Confederate armies in that they would lack the supplies to feed and arm their troops.

Answer 7

The Community Answer is basically correct except for one important detail. That detail is that "total war" was not a concept in the US Civil War. The best example of total war is seen best in WW 2. There, civilian populations became military targets for the Axis and Allied powers. Modern day historians cite Grant and Sherman as practicing what may be called a "war of exhaustion". Yes enemy held farmlands were destroyed to prevent supplies reaching Confederate armies but unlike total war in the 20th century, civilian targets were part of the overall strategies of all the great powers in the war. The fire bombing of Dresden and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima are prime examples of total war. Japan's Kamikaze air attacks are another example of total war, not found in the US Civil War.

Answer 8

Rather than create a major edit on General Sherman's strategies and tactics in the US Civil War, it is better to simply clarify what Sherman, General in Chief US Grant and President Lincoln agreed upon. Total war was not established until WW 2. There entire cities were bombed and civilian populations were treated as military targets. In the US Civil War, the Union decided in 1864 to use the tactics of exhaustion to destroy farm and livestock supplies so they would not be used by the Confederate armies. Civilian property was destroyed but Southern civilians were not a military target.

Answer 9

To end the war