able that Sherman quoted war is hell . Finally, on December 20, Shermans men reached the city of Savannah and from there Sherman telegraphed to President Lincoln: 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 . Grant had decided that the only way to win and finish the war would be to crunch with numbers. He knew that the Federal forces held more than a modest advantage in terms of men and supplies. This in mind, Grant directed Sherman to turn around now and start heading back toward Virginia. He immediately started making preparations to provide assistance to Sherman on the journey. General John M. Schofield and his men were to detach from the Army of the Cumberland, which had just embarrassingly defeated the Confederates at Nashville, and proceed toward North Carolina. His final destination was to be Goldsboro, which was roughly half the distance between Savannah and Richmond. This is where he and his 20,000 troops would meet Sherman and his 50,000 troops. Sherman began to move north in mid-January of 1865. The only hope of Confederate resistance would be by General P.G.T. Beaurgard. He was scraping together an army with every resource he could lay his hands on, but at best he would only be able to muster about 30,000 men. This by obvious mathematics would be no challenge to the combined forces of Schofield and Sherman, let alone Sherman. Shermans plan was to march through South Carolina all the while confusing the enemy. His men would march in two ranks: One would travel northwest to give the impression of a press against Augusta and the other would march northeast toward Charleston. However the one true objective would be Columbia. Shermans force arrived in Columbia on February 16th. The city was burned to the ground and great controversy was to arise. The Confederates claimed that Shermans men set the fires deliberat...
