Final answer:
General Sherman used total war tactics during Sherman's March to the Sea, aiming to demoralize the Confederate population by destroying military and civilian resources. Key strategies included burning cities, raiding farms, and freeing slaves as his army advanced, leaving a path of destruction to crush Southern resistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
General William Tecumseh Sherman implemented a strategy known as total war during his famous Sherman's March to the Sea. This approach was designed to crush the morale of the Southern population by destroying both military and civilian targets that could support the Confederate war effort. After capturing the strategic city of Atlanta, Sherman proceeded to march across Georgia to the Atlantic coast, where he captured Savannah and then moved into South Carolina, capturing Charleston and Columbia.
Sherman's tactics included cutting telegraph lines to isolate the South from communication, evacuating and then burning cities, such as Atlanta, and systematically destroying infrastructure, such as railroads. His forces also raided and burned plantations and farms, confiscated livestock, freed slaves, and left a trail of destruction that devastated the Southern economy and its people's will to continue the fight.
An example of the one-sided nature of the battles during this march was the encounter at Griswoldville, where a large number of Georgian militiamen were killed with minimal Union losses. On November 22, 650 militiamen were killed in the battle, while the Union lost only 62 soldiers. This showed a firm control by Union forces and further weakened the Confederate defensive capabilities.