286 The American Civil War
destroying railroads and anything of military
value en route, as he had done in Georgia?
Once Grant learned that it would take weeks
and weeks to assemble enough transport
ships, he authorized the Carolinas campaign.
Like their commander, Sherman's soldiers
much preferred to march to Virginia by way
of South Carolina. They viewed that state as
the hotbed of the secession movement and
blamed its people for all the lives lost, bodies
maimed, and hardships endured. They were
almost giddy at the prospect of exacting
vengeance for instigating the war.
By comparison with the advance on
Savannah, the Carolinas campaign was far
more difficult. Federal troops had to march
through swampy country in wintertime,
often amid heavy rains. Because of the
terrain, South Carolina lacked the bountiful
food harvests of central Georgia, And as the
Federals entered North Carolina, the
Confederacy had assembled a sizable force to
contest the advance, which in the previous
campaign occurred only as Sherman's troops
approached Savannah.
Once again, Shennan used two prized
targets to confuse Rebel resistance ahout his
initial destination. Two corps appeared as if
they were marching on Charleston, while the
other two threatened Augusta. Instead,
Sherman employed the XV and XVII Corps to
uncover the route for the XIV and XX more
inland. Then, his army, often taking separate
roads, advanced toward Columbia. As they
destroyed railroads along the way, they isolated
Charleston and compelled its abandonment.
These Yankee veterans were intent on
punishing South Carolina. When a soldier in
the XIV Corps crossed over the bridge into
the state, he yelled back, 'Boys, this is old
South Carolina, let's give her hell,' at which
his comrades cheered. Without
authorization, they burned parts or most of
18 towns and plundered or wrecked all sorts
of private property. Sherman's troops would
have their revenge.
After some skirmishing, the army entered
Columbia, where the troops discovered that
Confederates and civilians had begun
looting shops and had left stacked bates of
cotton on fire. That night, the wind kicked
up and revived the flames, floating these
burning projectiles to nearby buildings. In
their revelry Sherman's soldiers actively
spread the fires. By morning, after the winds
had died down, military officials had
restored some order. One-third of the city lay
in ashes. Yet Sherman's troops had not had
their fill. They torched parts of five more
towns in South Carolina.
Once the army crossed over into North
Carolina, officers issued orders to remind the
soldiers that North Carolina had been the
last state to secede and had a strong Unionist
minority. They urged troops to distinguish
between the people of the Tarheel State and
South Carolina. The army destroyed the
arsenal in Fayetteville, and some firebugs
burned several blocks. Generally, though,
Sherman's men behaved themselves much
better in North Carolina. In an army of
65,000, men plundered, especially soldiers
who acted as foragers, but most soldiers
eased up on their destructiveness.
By the time Sherman's troops reached
North Carolina, the Confederates had begun
to accumulate some forces to resist the
advance. South Carolinian Lieutenant-
General Wade Hampton brought cavalry
from Lee's army and superseded Wheeler.
Remnants of Hood's Army of Tennessee
augmented Hardee's command that escaped
from Savannah, and as the army fell back,
they collected various coastal garrisons. On
the advice of Lee, Davis restored Joe
Johnston to command them all.
Despite Johnston's weakness in
manpower, he had to try to block Sherman's
movements. Implementing a plan devised byRIGHT Sherman sent the XVII and most of the
XV Corps by water through Beaufort. As they advanced
inland, they uncovered the route for the other troops.
The Right Wing (XV and XVII Corps) traveled through
Orangeburg. Columbia. Cheraw, and then on to
Fayetteville. North Carolina. The Left Wing passed west
of Columbia through Winnesboro and then on to
Fayetteville. From there, they moved on to Goldsboro,
fighting at Averasborough and Bentonville. At Goldsboro,
they rendezvoused with Schofield and 40,000 men
from Wilmington. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered his
forces near Durham.