With Savannah safely in Union hands, a victorious General William T. Sherman telegrams U.S. President Abraham Lincoln with a simple message: “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah with 150 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition and also about 25,000 bales of cotton.” The capture of the port city…
Despite defiance mere days earlier, Confederate forces evacuate from Savannah today, leaving the city to Sherman‘s army. An official Confederate report of the evacuation notes: “The troops from the western lines were quietly withdrawn in the order and at the hours indicated in the circulars issued by the lieutenant general for the evacuation of the…
With the Confederates declaring their refusal to surrender Savannah to Sherman, the Union General begins preparations to take the city. Numerical manpower and firepower are on Sherman’s side, a fact recognized by the Confederacy. More soldiers are desperately needed in the defense of the city, but none are forthcoming. The armies of the South, decimated…