001 - Two Prefaces

In this captivating LibriVox recording, we delve into chapters 22 and 23 of General William Tecumseh Shermans renowned Memoirs, chronicling his pivotal March to the Sea from Atlanta to Savannah during November and December of 1864. As one of the Norths foremost generals, Sherman took command of the western theater after Ulysses S. Grant, leading his troops to the crucial capture of Atlanta—a victory that significantly influenced President Abraham Lincolns re-election. His relentless march through Georgia and the Carolinas not only devastated Confederate resources but also shattered their will to fight, culminating in the surrender of all Confederate forces in these regions by April 1865. Shermans scorched earth tactics were instrumental in hastening the end of the war, and despite his military prowess, he remained detached from political affairs. Published in 1875, his Memoirs offer one of the most vivid first-hand accounts of the American Civil War, earning him the title of the first modern general, as noted by British military historian B. H. Liddell Hart.