These two photographs of General Sherman were taken in 1864--the year that
made him an international figure, before his march to the sea which
electrified the civilized world, and exposed once for all the crippled
condition of the Confederacy. After that autumn expedition, the problem of
the Union generals was merely to contend with detached armies, no longer
with the combined States of the Confederacy. The latter had no means of
extending further support to the dwindling troops in the field. Sherman
was the chief Union exponent of the tactical gift that makes marches count
as much as fighting. In the early part of 1864 he made his famous raid
across Mississippi from Jackson to Meridian and back again, destroying the
railroads, Confederate stores, and other property, and desolating the
country along the line of march. In May he set out from Chattanooga for
the invasion of Georgia. For his success in this campaign he was
appointed, on August 12th, a major-general in the regular army. On
November 12th, he started with the pick of his men on his march to the
sea. After the capture of Savannah, December 21st, Sherman's fame was
secure; yet he was one of the most heartily execrated leaders of the war.
There is a hint of a smile in the right-hand picture. The left-hand
portrait reveals all the sternness and determination of a leader
surrounded by dangers, about to penetrate an enemy's country against the
advice of accepted military authorities.
[Illustration: THE ATLANTA BANK BEFORE THE MARCH TO THE SEA