Question

One purpose of General William T. Sherman's "March to the Sea" was to
A) break the spirits of Confederate citizens.
B) allow troops under his command to get rest.
C) find ships to sail his soldiers to the North.
D) prove that he was the most skilled Union general.

Answer 1

A) break the spirits of Confederate citizens

Answer 2

The correct answer is A) Break the spirits of Confederate citizens.

Sherman's famous "March to the Sea" saw him and his troops use the total war strategy as they marched throughout the state of Georgia. This total war strategy was based on the idea that the Union soldiers needed to destroy anything of use to the Confederacy. This is why Union soldiers destroyed railroad lines, burnt crops/plantations to the ground, took resources that the Confederates could find useful, etc. All of this was meant to break the will to fight of the Confederacy. This worked well, as Confederacy would end up surrendering shortly after this march by Sherman and his group.