Question
In late 1864, a Union army under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman
marched through the state of Georgia. The passage below comes from a letter that Sherman
wrote to the War Department about his march. Read the passage. Then answer the question
below.
We are not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people, and must make
old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war, as well as their
organized armies. I know that this recent movement of mine through Georgia
has had a wonderful effect in this respect.
hostile: enemy
people: the civilians, or people not in the military, of the Confederacy
What was Sherman arguing in this passage?
Most white people in the Confederacy had always supported the Union.
The war should only be fought against Confederate soldiers, not civilians.
Sherman’s march through Georgia had been a failure for the Union army.
The Union army should make life hard for Confederate civilians.
marched through the state of Georgia. The passage below comes from a letter that Sherman
wrote to the War Department about his march. Read the passage. Then answer the question
below.
We are not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people, and must make
old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war, as well as their
organized armies. I know that this recent movement of mine through Georgia
has had a wonderful effect in this respect.
hostile: enemy
people: the civilians, or people not in the military, of the Confederacy
What was Sherman arguing in this passage?
Most white people in the Confederacy had always supported the Union.
The war should only be fought against Confederate soldiers, not civilians.
Sherman’s march through Georgia had been a failure for the Union army.
The Union army should make life hard for Confederate civilians.
Ask by Sandoval Little. in the United States
Mar 26,2025
Upstudy AI Solution
Tutor-Verified Answer
Answer
Sherman argued that the Union army should make life difficult for Confederate civilians during his march through Georgia.
Solution
Sign in to Unlock Answers for Free!
A Learning Platform Trusted by Millions of Real Students and Teachers.
Unlock Answered by UpStudy AI and reviewed by a Professional Tutor
Like
Mind Expander
Sherman was arguing that the Union army should make life hard for Confederate civilians. He believed that in order to effectively weaken the Confederacy, it was necessary not only to engage their armies but also to impact the daily lives of the civilian population. This approach aimed to undermine the Confederates’ will to continue fighting by demonstrating the harsh consequences of war on their community.
His tactics were part of a broader strategy known as “total war,” which sought to break the spirit of the enemy by making the conflict deeply felt by all levels of society, thus ensuring a quicker end to the war.
