The fighting 285to proceed at a more leisurely speed and root
out Rebel stragglers. For the campaign,
Thomas's army took 8.635 prisoners and
320 Confederate deserters. As the attacking
force, the Federals lost 3,061 and killed or
wounded about 1,800 Rebels.
Thomas's campaign broke the back of the
Army of Tennessee. While some of its
members would fight again, and fight
well, it no longer existed as an army in the
true sense. The resounding Union victories
at Franklin and Nashville, moreover,
added great luster to Sherman's March to
the Sea. Only such a resounding triumph
would vindicate Sherman's decision to
send back two corps and cavalrymen
and head to the coast on his raiding
strategy.Campaign through the Carolinas
When Sherman arrived safely in Savannah, in
December 1864, Grant had great plans to
transport his army by water to the Petersburg
area. With the addition of 65,000 veterans,
the Federals could easily stretch around Lee's
flanks and bring an end to the war in the
east. But Sherman had other ideas. He hated
the prospect of shipping his troops by water.
Would it not be better, he proposed, to march
his army through the Carolinas to Virginia,