Sherman’s March to the Sea 1864 | The Campaign That Broke the Confederacy On November 15, 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman began his devastating March to the Sea, leaving Atlanta behind and carving a path of destruction toward Savannah. His strategy of total war targeted railroads, supply lines, and Confederate infrastructure—breaking the South’s ability to fight and accelerating the end of the Civil War. It remains one of the most controversial and consequential campaigns in America