Sherman’s triumphant army marched into Savannah, Georgia on Wednesday, December 21, 1864. The Twentieth Corps became the first Union troops to enter the city; Sherman was not present. He had journeyed up the coastline to a strategy session to block the potential escape of Savannah’s defenders-- on the very route which they used to escape while the conference was being held. Sherman was extremely disappointed in Hardee’s escape, but little could have been done to stop his evacuation. Hardee had been planning such a move since Jefferson Davis advised him to see to the preservation of his army. When Sherman arrived in Savannah, he found government auditors totaling the value of cotton seized by his army; one auditor suggested that Sherman wire Lincoln with a Christmas gift of Savannah.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.