Why did general sherman march his armies through ga?

Answer 1

Sherman planned his March through Georgia as an exercise in Total War. His aim was to destroy the material means by which the South could conduct the war. He had his troops feed off the land and destroy what crops they could not consume so that the food could not be sent to the enemy army. He destroyed factories and warehouses to prevent the goods from being used against the Federal Forces. He destroyed railroad tracks to prevent the shipment of supplies and reinforcements from getting to the armies in the field. By destroying the infrastructure of the South, he made it impossible for its army to sustain the fighting. As a byproduct, he created terror in the minds of the civilian population, and prompted many desertions by the by serving soldiers who rushed home to try to protect their homes. In many ways, the March to the Sea anticipated later submarine and air bombing campaigns of later wars.