Willy Bro

Imagine 100,000 soldiers bravely march into the south on the Atlanta campaign of 1864. Knowing this is one of the final battles of the Civil War. Every one of them willing to sacrifice their lives' for total victory. The man holding their lives in his hand was Brigadier General William Tecumseh Sherman. He took the call to lead these men in a decisive offensive that would be the turning point of the war. His actions have caused him to be viewed as either a hero or a monster. Regardless of the perceptions of him, his role in our countries history must always be remembered.

He was born February 8, 1820 in Lancaster Ohio with eleven brothers and sisters. When his father passed away in 1829 he was adopted by his father's closest friend, Thomas Ewing, who was a senator and a member of the national cabinet. In 1836 he entered West Point. He graduated with the highest score in the class and was a second lieutenant in the 3rd Artillery Regiment. His first taste of action was in Florida against the Seminole Indians, then in 1846 with the Mexican-American war.(Bengston,1994)

During 1858-1859 he dabbled in business work and practiced law, but as tension between the North and South grew he returned to the army to lead a volunteer infantry division for the Union General Ulysses S Grant. .

Sherman also took part in Halleck's offensive into Corinth, Mississippi and in the closing of 1862 he led the Mississippi Column in the first Vicksburg campaign. Then in the battle for the Chickasaw Bayou, Sherman suffered his first defeat, but he was compensated for it in the taking of Fort Hindman. After, Sherman's skills were recognized and he was promoted to lieutenant General.

When General Grant was going to start his final Vicksburg campaign Sherman was appointed to the command of the XV corps, with more experienced soldiers than the men Sherman previously led. In July of 1863 he was promoted to Brigadier General of the regular Army.

After a Confederate surrender Sherman's next objective was to march troops into the south and take key ports, factories, and forts then finally push into Georgia to take Atlanta. In May 1864, he and his 100,000

Union soldiers began the march into the south. He was first confronted by 55,000 Rebel soldiers led by Gen. Joseph Johnston, in Dalton, Tennessee.

The attack was so overwhelming for the relatively small rebel force that many of them turned to run as the Union soldiers advanced, which made taking the town swift and easy, with minimal casualties. The rebels that survived the attack fell back to the Resaca Railroad Station on the line between Chattanooga and Atlanta. So Sherman massed his troops in Dallas and began to attack the remaining rebels. Once the Final rebels were killed or captured the Union soldiers burned the Railroad station to the ground. The victory there opened the way for a Union attack on Atlanta. In September of 1864