SHERMAN'S MARCH THROUGH THE CAROLINAS

Hardback. The author details General William Tecumseh Sherman’s 1865 campaign through South and North Carolina, which he deemed his greatest military achievement. Leading 60,000 troops from Savannah, Sherman applied his total war strategy to hasten the Civil War’s end, targeting South Carolina, the cradle of secession. He drawing on memoirs and records, chronicles key events: the burning of Columbia, the Battle of Bentonville, and Joseph E. Johnston’s surrender post-Appomattox. The narrative highlights the devastation caused by Sherman’s “bummers,” who pillaged freely, and the campaign’s toll on civilians. The author portrays Sherman’s complex character — his pre-war Southern sympathies clashing with his Union loyalty and belief in decisive warfare. Though not the war’s decisive blow, the march demoralised the South, contributing to its collapse. With Map eps, Bibliog. and Index. 325pp. 8vo. h/back. Sl. sunned sp. o/w Vg+