Sherman's march, particularly his "March to the Sea" in 1864, was effective in destroying Confederate morale by employing a strategy of total war, which aimed to dismantle not just the Confederate army but also the economic and psychological foundations supporting it. By destroying infrastructure, railroads, and supplies, Sherman's forces created a sense of hopelessness among the civilian population and soldiers alike. The widespread devastation and the visible might of Union forces undermined confidence in the Confederate government's ability to protect its citizens, leading to a significant decline in morale and support for the war effort. This psychological impact contributed to the eventual collapse of the Confederacy.
To attack the civilian infrastructure behind the Confederate war-effort - burning farms, wrecking railroads, helping to starve the troops in the field and destroying civilian morale. It shortened the war by at least six months, at almost nil casualties,.
It deprived the Confederate armies of food, and interrupted rail movement by troops and civilians. It also devastated morale.
By destroying the farms that fed the Confederate armies, and by eroding civilian morale.
By destroying farms, and so driving the Confederate armies closer to starvation. By destroying Southern civilian morale and the will to fight on. By raising Northern morale, and helping Lincoln win re-election. By demonstrating to the whole world that the Confederacy was too weak to survive.
The crossing of Georgia, making punitive raids on civilians, destroying the farms, helping to starve the Confederate armies, altogether devastating Southern morale.
The Southern economy and civilian morale. By destroying farms and railroads, he would help to starve the Confederate troops in the field quicker than by trying to pursue them into the mountains.
He saw a chance to wage psychological warfare by laying waste to rich farmland, at very little risk to his troops, destroying civilian morale as well as helping to starve the Confederate armies.
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.
During Sherman's March to the Sea in 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman led his troops across Georgia, inflicting significant destruction. It is estimated that around $100 million in property damage was caused, which included the burning of homes, farms, and railroads. The campaign aimed to undermine the Confederate war effort by destroying resources and civilian morale. Sherman's tactics of total war had a lasting impact on the South's infrastructure and economy.
By burning the farms and destroying the railroads, to starve the Confederate troops, wreck the Southern economy and ruin civilian morale, while living off the land all the way and sustaining almost ni
Immediate - total despoiling of the rich Georgia farmland, serious threat to Confederate food-supply, destruction of railroads, and devastation of civilian morale (and corresponding leap in Northern morale, helping Lincoln to get re-elected.) Long-term - slow and painful reconstruction programme, lasting resentment of the vandalism and cruelty of the Union army, personal loathing of Sherman.
Sherman had failed to destroy the Army of Tennessee, and believed that he could bring the war to a conclusion quicker by destroying the rich Georgia farmland, devastating Southern morale and bringing the Confederate armies closer to starvation.