The American Civil War - This Mighty Scourge of War

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that he did not have to capture those cities,
which could prove costly and tie down his

army. All he had to do was destroy
Confederate facilities for moving their

products, specifically the railroads, to
accomplish his goal.

Sherman's army swung down as if to
threaten Macon, home of an arsenal, armory,

and laboratory, and then shifted up toward
Augusta, which housed the great Arsenal and

Gunpowder Works and the Naval Ordnance
Works. Meanwhile, his army ripped up

railroad track, burning ties and twisting rails.
They did not have to waste time filling in
the rail grade, because if his men did their

work properly and twisted the rails
(sometimes, they only bent them), the

Confederate had no facilities outside

Before Sherman's army abandoned Atlanta it destroyed the

railroads. Groups of soldiers picked up rails and dislodged

the ties. They then started large fires with the ties and laid

the rails over them. Once the rails got red hot men twisted

the rails. Since the Confederacy had no other foundries

outside Richmond that could produce rails, Sherman's men

did not have to undertake the backbreaking work of filling

in the rail gradings. They employed this technique through

the Savannah and Carolinas campaigns, destroying

443 miles (713km) of railroad. (Library of Congress)

Richmond to melt down and roll rails. As

Sherman advanced toward Augusta, he again

maneuvered his army between Augusta and

Savannah, confusing the Confederates as to

his real destination and enabling his men to

do their work. On the Savannah campaign,

Sherman's troops destroyed over 300 miles

(480km) of rail.