Confederate General William Joseph Hardee graduated from West Point in 1838. He was ranked 26th in his class of graduating cadets that numbered 45. Hardee had served in the Mexican War and once the US Civil War began he saw most of his battlefield action in the Western Theater. As an aside, many historians are critical of Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston for not placing the veteran Hardee in charge of Fort Donelson.
Confederate General William Joseph Hardee graduated from West Point in 1838. Hardee ranked 26th in his graduating class of 45 cadets. Most of his action in the US Civil War was in the Western Theater.
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When it became clear to Confederate General William J. Hardee that the target of Sherman's armies was Savannah, Georgia and not Macon Georgia, he ordered Confederate cavalry unites to harass the Union's rear and both flanks. Also, he ordered all available militias to march eastward in an attempt to protect Savannah.
William J. Hardee was the author of the tactical military manual that replaced General Scott's book in 1855. After Hardee joined the Confederate army in 1861, the Federal government replaced his book with a new manual written by Silas Casey.
Due to Sherman's link to the Union navy, he now was able to surround Savannah Georgia, and had the men and artillery to effectively set the city to siege. He offered the defending General William J. Hardee terms for surrender, however, Hardee made the wise move to save his troops and the city from destruction by evacuating it on December 20, 1864. Hardee had the battle veteran mentality to build pontoons to cross the Savannah River The mayor of Savannah then rode to Sherman's camp and surrendered.
William J. Hardee died on 1873-11-06.
William J. Hardee was born on 1815-10-12.
There was no Savannah battle, although Sherman was expecting one. The commander of the small Confederate army in Savannah was General Hardee, who tried to bluff that he'd got Sherman within range of heavy artillery. Sherman ignored the threat, and Hardee escaped across the river into South Carolina.
Confederate President Davis had never been a supported of Major General Joseph Johnston. They had quarreled with each other for most of the war. Davis also was supported in his dislike of Johnston by generals William Hardee and John Bell Hood. To a lessor extent, General Braxton Bragg was also in favor of Johnston's removal as head of the Army of Tennessee in 1864.
William Joseph Hardee was one old and reliable corp in the United States civil war.
Union: Major Gereral Ulysses S. Grant and Major General George H. Thomas Confederacy: General Braxton Bragg, Lt. General William Hardee
After a long march, Sherman's troops reached the outskirts of Savannah Georgia on December 10, 1864. Since Confederate General William Hardee had correctly identified Savannah as Sherman's target, he had time to entrench 10,000 troops in good positions. Hardee had also flooded the nearby rice fields so that the only way to approach Savannah was by narrow causeways.