Hood took command. This was significant because Hood's aggressiveness, it was feared by his troops, would surely get them killed (Carter, 1976). They were not very wrong. Hood attacked Sherman almost immediately, launching several failed attacks intended to push Sherman away from Atlanta. They all failed and weakened Hood's army so severely he had to give up Atlanta and allow Sherman many options on what to do next.
Sherman's intent was to tear through the heart of Georgia wrecking the infrastructure of the state. Sherman's orders upon leaving Atlanta were "that nothing be left intact that might be of use to the rebs when they returned" (Foote, 1974, p. 641). Sherman's orders for the march were similar, though he instructed his troops not to enter civilian dwellings or commit any trespass (Foote, 1974). Sherman did order his men to "forage liberally" (Oates, 1998) in organized details. Sherman wanted to bring the war to a region of the South previously untouched, middle Georgia.
The tactic of foraging has certainly been used throughout history. Sun Tzu wrote essays about the art of war around 500 BC and even that far back the concept he proposed was "the wise general sees to it that his troops feed on the enemy" (Griffith, 1971, p. 74). When discussing doctrinal stability, Archer Jones writes "the Union's logistic strategy never had a chance to demonstrate its effectiveness" (1987, p. 417) because what ultimately shortened the war was Southern troops deserting their units. This may have been a lesser factor, but was likely brought about due to raids like Sherman's that showed the true vulnerability of the South.
The destruction of the South's infrastructure such as rail lines, bridges, warehouses, and material that could be used to support military operations, i
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