Why didn't Sherman attack North Carolina?

[chipwich]

Why was Georgia chosen as the place to attack? Sherman/Grant had the choice of any Confederate state after securing Tennessee, and North Carolina stands out for two reasons.

1. Attacking NC would have put much more stress on Lee and a possible linkup with the Army of the Potomac

2. North Carolina was more important to the Confederacy, supplying more troops than any other state while Georgia's governor was uncooperative and ordered it's resources to stay in Georgia, effectively "sleeping" Georgia's army.

[Syt]

Because of the entrenched giant ants of Brest-Litovsk there.

[jimmy olsen]

Why was Georgia chosen as the place to attack? Sherman/Grant had the choice of any Confederate state after securing Tennessee, and North Carolina stands out for two reasons.

1. Attacking NC would have put much more stress on Lee and a possible linkup with the Army of the Potomac

2. North Carolina was more important to the Confederacy, supplying more troops than any other state while Georgia's governor was uncooperative and ordered it's resources to stay in Georgia, effectively "sleeping" Georgia's army.

This wasn't Virginia?

[Razgovory]

I thought he did.

[chipwich]

Why was Georgia chosen as the place to attack? Sherman/Grant had the choice of any Confederate state after securing Tennessee, and North Carolina stands out for two reasons.

1. Attacking NC would have put much more stress on Lee and a possible linkup with the Army of the Potomac

2. North Carolina was more important to the Confederacy, supplying more troops than any other state while Georgia's governor was uncooperative and ordered it's resources to stay in Georgia, effectively "sleeping" Georgia's army.

This wasn't Virginia?

Nope.

[chipwich]

I thought he did.

Well, eventually.

[Caliga]

Because he was in a better position to attack Georgia from where he started, and it was the fastest route to the ocean from where he was starting, allowing him to sever the trans-Confederacy rail lines in the fastest manner.... I think 

[CountDeMoney]

I thought he did.

 

He crossed Cape Fear and gave Hardee's troops what for, marched on Goldsboro to destroy the rail heads there, and then the war ended.

[PDH]

Because it didn't matter where he went, he just had to march and split the Confederacy.  The war-making ability of the South by then had run down, the ranks were thinning as soldiers disillusioned and beaten took leave with their feet and headed home, it didn't matter so the best route with a definite end point was chosen.  What the march to the sea did was show all this to the North and the rest of the world, and the Union knew they could do this and not be in danger.  Hell, when drugged up Hood marched his army away it meant that the Union could make the march in grand style while a cobbled together army could later destroy Hood at Nashville.

The was was over by then, it was just time to show everyone, thus Georgia followed by South Carolina.

[CountDeMoney]

I'm in lesbian with Sherman.

[Viking]

He started at Chatanooga. Burnside and Longstreet were clogging up the Cumberland Gap and Hood was still facing him at Atlanta. Grant's plan had him attacking Hoods Army, Grant's plan had the armies of the confederacy as their objectives not their cities. The Smokey mountains prevented the direct rout.

Sherman had instructions to destroy Hood. Once Hood was destroyed Sherman was at Atlanta. From Atlanta there were two roads east, one down to Savannah the the other to Columbus South Carolina. Marching directly into South Carolina would have been slow and tedious and with supply routs open to attack. With no army facing him he jumped from his supply routs ignored the guerillas and logistics of keeping los open and marched directly on the nearest port.

[mongers]

He had to do something dramatic, his ratings were tanking ?



I'll get my coat. 

[CountDeMoney]

Don't forget your hat.

[mongers]

Don't forget your hat.

It's ok, I'm already wearing it. :types away: