Special Order 120

H.Q.s Military Div. of the Miss.
In the Field, Kingston, Georgia

November 9th, 1864

Special Field Order
No 120

I. For the purpose of military operations, this Army is divided into two wings, viz:

The Right Wing, Maj. Gen O.O. Howard Commanding the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps;
The Left Wing, Maj. Gen. H.W. Slocum Commanding the Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps;

II. The habitual order of march will be whenever practicable by four roads as near parallel as possible, and convening at points hereafter to be indicated in orders. The Cavalry Brig. Gen. Kilpatrick commanding will receive special orders from the Commander-in-Chief.

III. There will be no general trains of supplies but each Corps will have its ammunition train distributed habitually as follows: Behind each regiment should follow one wagon and one ambulance; behind each brigade should follow a due proportion of ammunition wagons, provision wagons and ambulances. In case of danger each Army Corps Commander should change this order of march by having his advance and rear brigades unencumbered by wheels. The separate columns will start habitually at 7 A.M. and make about fifteen miles per day unless otherwise fixed in orders.

IV. The Army will forage liberally on the country during the march,: To this end each Brigade Commander will organize a good and sufficient foraging party under the command of one or more discreet officers who will gather near the route traveled. Corn or forage or any kind, meat of any kind, vegetables, cornmeal, or whatever is needed by the Command, aiming at all times to keep in the wagon trains at least ten days' provisions and three days' forage. Soldiers must not enter the dwellings of the inhabitants, or commit any trespass during the halt or a camp; they may be permitted to gather turnips, potatoes and other vegetables, and to drive in stock in sight of their camps. To regular foraging parties must be entrusted the gathering of provisions and forage at any distance from the road traveled.

V. To Army Corps Commanders is entrusted the power to destroy mills, houses, cotton gins, etc., and for them this general principle is laid down: in districts and neighborhoods where the Army is unmolested no destruction of such property should be permitted; but should guerrillas or bushwhakers molest our march, or should the inhabitants burn bridges, obstruct roads, or otherwise manifest local hostility, then Army Commanders should order and enforce a devastation more or less relentless, according to the measure of such hostility.

VI. As for horses, mules, wagons, etc., belonging to the inhabitants, the Cavalry and the Artillery may appropriate freely and without limit; discriminating, however, between the rich, who are usually hostile, and the poor or industrious usually neutral or friendly. Forging parties may also take mules or horses to replace jaded animals of their trains, or to serve as pack-mules for the regiments or brigades. In all foraging of whatever kind, the parties engaged will refrain from abusive or threatening language, and may, when the officer in charge thinks proper, give written certificates of the facts but no receipts, and they will endeavor to leave with each family a reasonable portion for their maintenance.

VII. Negroes, who are able-bodied and can be of service to the several columns, may be taken along; but each Army Commander will bear in mind that the questions of supplies is a very important one and that his first duty is to see to those who bear arms.

VIII. The organization at once of a good pioneer battallion for each Army Corps, composed if possible of Negroes, should be attended to. This battallion should follow the advance guard, should repair roads - and double them if possible, so that the columns will not be delayed after reaching bad places. Also Army Commanders should study the habit of giving the Artillery and wagons the road and marching their troops on one side; and also to instruct their troops to assist wagons at steep hills or bad crossing of streams.

IX. Captain O.M. Poe, Chief Engineer, will assign to each wing of the Army a pontoon train fully equipped and organized and the Commander thereof will see to its being properly protected at all times.

By order of

Maj. Gen. W.T. Sherman

(Signed) L.M. Dayton
Aide-de-Camp

Uncle Billy and the Foragers

General Sherman was beloved by his soldiers, many of them 19 years old or younger. As one soldier wrote "I feel I can go anywhere Uncle Billy leads me."

General Sherman headed east, towards Savannah. He has no lines of communication to either General Grant or President Lincoln, as he cut telegraph wires to hamper the Confederacy. He is risking his entire army as they are now without communication or reinforcements. General Sherman understands this but feels he can push through the heart to the Confederacy and show the south the war is not winnable for them.

The biggest obstacle is the lack of a supply, particulary food. General Sherman issued an order for his men to forage liberally off the land during the march in Special Field Order 120.

Sherman and his commanders know they must stay on the move. If the army is to stop for just a few days, the will exhaust the resources of the area they rest and will run out of food and other supplies. Any type of prolonged delay will seriously but his forces in jeopardy. Sherman realizes he his risking his army and reputation.  He sums up the possible failure as being judged as the "crazy adventure of some old fool."

Burning Atlanta

Before beginning the march to the sea, Sherman orders his soldiers to destroy anything of "military potential in Atlanta."  Unfortunately, some of his soldiers get out of control and begin torching all sorts of other things.  When it is over, thirty percent of Atlanta was destroyed. Sherman felt that Atlanta had done more to facilitate the war than any other city, except for Richmond, therefore, he felt the actions completely justified.

 

The loss of Atlanta is disaterous for the Confederacy. Atlanta was a major railroad hub and a major idustrial center. It was a crucial logistcal city to support war efforts.

 

The next day, November 16th, 1864, Sherman and his army begin their march to the sea.

To the Sea

After securing Atlanta, Sherman proposes a plan to Grant. Sherman feels that at this point, it is useless to occupy Atlanta. With Grant's approval, he will take his 60,000 man Army and step out across Georgia to Savannah. Sherman want to "utterly" destroy Georgia's roads, bridges, houses, with the intent of crippling the southern economy and devastating their ability to wage war. A march to the sea.

The plan does have glaring weaknesses and is not without risking Sherman's 60,000 man strong army. He will be without a supply line, communication, a line of retreat or reinforcements. Both General Grant and President Lincoln are nervous, but agree to the plan nonetheless as they both agree that if successful, it will be a punishing blow to the Confederacy. Success will bring the war closer to an end and will eventually save thousands of soldiers lives on both sides.

Battle Plans

                                       The plan to attack simultaneously. (Above).

                                       Sherman marches to the south of Atlanta and
                                       cuts off the railway and supply line.

March 19, 1864

On March 19th, 1864, General Grant, who was recently named the commander of the entire Union Army and General Sherman met to finalize plans for what they would hope would be a battle plan to end the war.  They have an army of over a million men, but the war has waged for over three years and hundreds of thousands of died. There seems to be no end to the carnage in sight, but both men are resolved to solve this military problem and win victory for the Union.

President Lincoln felt he needed a victory to reassure his reelection in the Presidential race of 1864. News of a big victory he thought would reassure his reelection.  General's Grant and Sherman were determined to give their Commander-in-Chief good news from the battlefield.

General Grant and Sherman will devise a plan for Union victory. General Grant will confront the main Confederate Army in Virginia while Sherman will attack Atlanta, Ga, the main supply depot for the Confederates. The plan boils down to attacking on all fronts simultaneously. When Sherman arrives back to his troops, he immediately implements the plan and after four months of fighting, he is reaches the outskirts of Atlanta in August of 1864.

General Sherman swung around Atlanta to the south and cut off the railway which supplied the city. The Confederates attacked the next day in Jonesville, GA. The fighting at Jonesville was brutal, primarily because the soldiers new what was at stake - Atlanta and all of her supplies. In one hour of fighting, the south looses 1700 men in what amounted to a slaughter. The Confederates withdrew and General Sherman was in possession of the second most important city in the south.

General Sherman dispatched a telegraph to President Lincoln that Atlanta had fallen. It is dramatic news and serves to bolster the war weary northerner's public opinion about the poll and serves to reaffirm that the Union can win the war. It also made clear President Lincoln would win reelection.

To End the Civil War

In 1864, the American Civil War has been raging for three years. General William Tecumseh Sherman has an Army of 60,000 Union soldiers and a plan to march 650 miles in less than 100 marching days, through the heart of the Confederacy to wage a campaign to destroy the south's war making ability. General Sherman plans to burn and plunder from Atlanta to Savannah, crippling the south's economy. The second intent is wage psychological warfare against the civilian population and break the will to support the south's secession movement. General Sherman, Grant and President Lincoln are searching for the final blow to bring the war to its conclusion. The campaign will terrorize the civilians of Georgia and South Carolina and will immortalize General Sherman as the "Father of Total War." Prior to the campaign, Sherman proclaimed "I will make Georgia howl!" He was true to his word.