It is not certain that he did so deliberately.
But he was determined to punish South Carolina for being the first state to secede, and so he continued the destructive course he had started in Georgia. He would certainly have intended to leave his mark on the state capital.
The reason for burning cities was to kill the Confederacy's ability to wage war and to destroy the will to fight.
He ordered the burning of all buildings of military potential. But it went beyond that, and Sherman began to see the point of destroying civilian morale.
William T. Sherman
Atlanta :(
No. There was one city that he spared, and that was Savannah, at the end of his famous March to the Sea. The Confederate garrison in Savannah had escaped across the river into South Carolina, and Sherman probably felt that he'd made his point by that time - in Georgia, that is. But when he pursued the Confederates into South Carolina - the state that had started the war - he allowed his troops to put the boot into the state capital, Columbia SC, which was burned to the ground. There remains one lingering tradition about why Sherman never allowed his men to damage Savannah. Apparently as a young man, Sherman had loved a girl from Savannah, and he identified the city with her image. A fairly recent novel has exploited this legend, suggesting that they managed to find this girl in adult life, and there was an emotional reunion. I cannot help you in researching how much of this was based on the truth.
William DID burn his boats, which meant that none of his men could retreat, which meant there was no going back.
yes yes he did.
Georgia
Sherman burned down Atlanta before starting his March to the Sea.
Yes, General William Tecumseh Sherman’s troops burned Columbia, South Carolina, during the Civil War in February 1865. The city was set ablaze in retribution for its role as the capital of the Confederacy and was largely destroyed in the process. The fire was exacerbated by the city’s wooden structures and the chaotic conditions following the Union army's occupation.
He ordered the burning of all buildings of military potential. But it went beyond that, and Sherman began to see the point of destroying civilian morale.
William T. Sherman
Destroy the farms, kill the livestock, burn any crops the army can't eat, and wreck the railroads. Violence against civilians was strictly forbidden. When this happened, it was usually not at the hands of Sherman's men, but the mounted vandals ("bummers") who rode alongside the army for the food and the fun.
Burn the farms, wreck the railroads, but no violence to civilians. When violence did happen, it was usually not at the hands of Sherman's troops. It was carried out by lawless mounted vandals (including deserters from both sides), who rode alongside the army for the fun, and the pickings.
Burn the farms, wreck the railroads, but no violence to civilians. When violence did happen, it was usually not at the hands of Sherman's troops. It was carried out by lawless mounted vandals (including deserters from both sides), who rode alongside the army for the fun, and the pickings.
During his March to the Sea in 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman and his troops are estimated to have burned around 3,000 buildings, primarily in the city of Atlanta and throughout Georgia. The campaign aimed to destroy the South's logistical and infrastructural capabilities, contributing to the Union's victory in the Civil War. While the focus was on military targets, significant civilian property was also affected in the process.
General William Tecumseh Sherman ordered the burning of infrastructure and supplies during his March to the Sea in 1864 to disrupt the Confederate war effort and diminish their resources. This strategy, known as "total war," aimed to weaken the morale of both the Confederate army and civilian population by demonstrating the devastating consequences of the war. By destroying railroads, warehouses, and crops, Sherman's forces sought to hasten the end of the conflict by crippling the South's ability to sustain its military operations.
General Sherman wanted to capture Savannah, Georgia by December 25, 1864. He wanted to destroy the South so it would surrender. He practiced a "scortched earth" policy where he would burn everything in his path.