Sherman's March to the Sea: Atlanta to Savannah

The march was 300 miles long and began on 15 November 1864. Sherman himself rode out of Atlanta by the Decatur road, among the marching troops and wagons of the Fourteenth Corps. Looking back, he saw the city "smouldering and in ruins". Somewhere in the ranks a band struck up "John Brown's Body" by accident.

Location precision: The sources place the departure on the Decatur road east of the city, not at one spot; the pin marks Decatur Street as a general guide.

The first real resistance came on 22 November, when Howard's right wing fought the Battle of Griswoldville. Union infantry threw up a barricade of rails and logs, and a battery of artillery was brought up. Georgia militia made three desperate charges on the position, all repulsed with heavy losses. The industrial village of Griswoldville, a source of Confederate military supplies, was never rebuilt.

Location precision: The battle covered farmland and a lost industrial village; the pin is the preserved tract near Baker Road.

Visitor guidance: A roadside monument and interpretive wayside markers stand at the site on Baker Road.

Milledgeville was Georgia's capital, and the Union approach prompted the hasty departure of Governor Joseph Brown and the state legislature. Union troops then held a mock legislative session in the capitol, jokingly voting Georgia back into the Union. The building was damaged, and armories and magazines on Statehouse Square were destroyed. The old statehouse remains the center of the Georgia Military College campus.

Visitor guidance: The building is open for tours as part of the Georgia Military College campus.

Fort McAllister was the last fort defending Savannah. On 13 December Hazen's division overpowered its defenders in about 15 minutes of battle; some of the 134 Union casualties were caused by torpedoes, the land mines of the day. With the fort taken, Sherman had contact with the Navy fleet under Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren. That evening Hazen invited the captured commander, Major Anderson, to join the meal with Sherman.

Visitor guidance: The fort is a state historic park in Richmond Hill, south of Savannah, with a museum of artifacts.

On 20 December General Hardee led his men across the Savannah River on a makeshift pontoon bridge. The next morning Mayor Arnold surrendered the city and presented the key to Sherman. Sherman occupied the Green–Meldrim House and used it as his headquarters. He sent his famous telegram offering "as a Christmas Gift the City of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition".

Visitor guidance: Tours of the house are given during the day.