278 The American Civil WarThe campaign caused quite a sensation
among people North and South. Few knew
Sherman's true destination, Savannah, and
the way he cut a swath right through the
state of Georgia fascinated Northerners and
terrified Southerners. By marching through
the countryside, Sherman's soldiers
frightened the people of Georgia. Hordes of
bluecoats poured over farms, plantations,
and towns, stripping the area of foodstuffs,
livestock, and able-bodied male slaves, and
destroying any items of military value they
could not carry. Confederate soldiers in
distant armies grew extremely uneasy over
the welfare of loved ones and their life's
work. Just as Sherman made Confederate
commanders in Georgia choose between
Macon and Augusta, so he forced Georgia
soldiers to decide whether their ultimate
responsibility lay with their beleaguered
families or with the army. Before the
campaign, he had vowed, 'I can make the
march, and make Georgia howl.' And he did.
By the second week of December,
Sherman's columns were approaching the area
around Savannah. Grant had notified the
Union navy of Sherman's intention, but no
one knew for sure when he would surface. To
open communications, Sherman's troops
stormed Fort McAllister south of the city, and
then stretched out to trap the garrison in
Savannah. Some 13,000 Confederates under
Hardee defended the city and were able to
keep open one route of escape. On the night
of 21 December, Hardee withdrew before
Sherman could complete plans to box the
Rebels inside the city. The next day, Sherman
announced to the President, 'I beg to present
you, as a Christmas gift, the City of Savannah.'
In reply, Lincoln admitted his uneasiness over
the operation and acquiesced only because
'you were the better judge' and 'nothing
risked, nothing gained.' The President then
insisted, 'the honor is all yours.'
Hood's Tennessee campaign
Although Hood had lost Atlanta,
Confederate President Davis retained his
faith in him. Davis had appointed Hood
because he was a fighter, and that was
exactly what Hood did. Yet the Rebel
President detected a lack of seasoning in
high command, and to assist Hood, Davis
assigned Beauregard as commander of the
Military Division of the West. Beauregard
had restored his reputation somewhat with
Davis by performing well as commander of
the Department of South Carolina, Georgia,
and Florida, and then around Petersburg.
Davis did not intend for Beauregard to
supersede Hood. Rather, he wanted Hood in
command, but felt that Beauregard could
help shape Hood's plans and provide the
kind of advice that the young, aggressive
warrior needed.
Hood convinced himself that he had
achieved a great success by striking Sherman's
supply line, and now he planned to invade
Tennessee and perhaps Kentucky. If Sherman
pursued, he could give battle on his own
terms. If Sherman refused to follow his army,
then Middle Tennessee and perhaps more
would be easy pickings. Beauregard weighed
in by sending Forrest's cavalry to cooperate
with Hood's army and by shifting the Rebel
supply base to Tuscumbia, Alabama, on the
Memphis & Charleston Railroad. Beauregard
then offered some advice on how to conduct
the campaign: to succeed, Hood must
move rapidly.
Instead, Hood dawdled. He wasted time
trying to capture a Federal garrison at
Decatur, Alabama, and struggled to find an
acceptable crossing at the Tennessee River.
Finally, he marched to Tuscumbia and waited
for fresh supplies before entering Tennessee.
This indecisiveness, so uncharacteristic of the
impulsive Hood, may have been purposeful.
Had the Rebel army advanced into Middle
Tennessee along the railroad to Nashville,
Sherman might have pursued, blocking
Hood's escape route southward. By shifting
his army to north central Alabama, Hood
discouraged Sherman from chasing him.
On the Union side, Hood's movements
may have baffled Sherman temporarily, but
Grant assessed the Confederate commander's
intentions exactly. Once the Army of