Christmas in Savannah 1864

Christmas in Savannah 1864 (HMCRU)

Location: Savannah, GA 31401 Chatham County
Buy Georgia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 32° 4.864', W 81° 5.276'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 704 views
Inscription
For, Savannah, Christmas 1864 was anything but a timefor merriment. Almost four years of war had taken thelives of thousands of Georgians, destroyed millions ofdollars in property and left the state in chaos. As theholiday approached, so did the relentless Union Armyled by William Tecumseh Sherman. For Union soldiers,it was a time for jubilant celebration as Gen. Shermantelegraphed President Lincoln, "Sir: I beg to present to you as a Christmas gift, the City of Savannah with150 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition; also about25,000 bales of cotton."
(Left picture)
Innocent Victims of War Face Uncertain Future
In November 1864, Sherman initiated his historicMarch to the Sea. With 57,000 infantry and 5,000cavalry, the Union Army cut a 40 to 60 mile wide swath through " the soft underbelly of the Confederacy." Within days of Savannah's surrender a Union officer wrote, "We are inSavannah, in the full enjoyment of superbquarters, fish, oysters and other good things andour army relishes the condition of the affairs." In Southern circles, "All talk was of burninghomes, houses knocked to pieces by balls,famine, murder and desolation."
(Top center picture)
Pontoon Bridges Hasten Mass Exodus
In anticipation of Sherman's occupation ofSavannah, Confederate generals ordered theconstruction of pontoon bridges to assist inthe evacuation of the city. " Boards and timbers from the city wharves and somebuildings were pried up to use for flooring,and Rebels scoured the area for rice flats tohelp float the bridges." An eyewitnesscompared the stream of wagons, soldiers,and civilians to an "immense funeral processionstealing out of the city at the dead of night."
(Lower pictures)
(l) Burning Confederate Navy Vessels LightUp the Christmas Season Sky, (r)Captured Cotton on the Docks Made a WhiteChristmas
(Right picture)
(u) Sherman's Army Marching Down Bay Street
and
Cartoon Mocks General's Holiday Generosity
" Implacable in war," Sherman was viewed by onlookers as possessing a "nervous, rumpled,irritable" nature. Known by his men asUncle Billy, he had little toleration and respectfor journalists or politicians. Prior to his onslaught on the Southern states, Sherman proclaimed," War is the remedy of our enemies havechosen and I say let us give them all they want; not a word of argument, not a sign of let-up,no cave in till we are whipped - or they are."
Details
HM NumberHMCRU
Tags
Marker Number7
Year Placed2009
Placed ByU.S. Dept. Of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, Georgia Dept. of Transportation
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, October 27th, 2014 at 11:44am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 491701 N 3549424
Decimal Degrees32.08106667, -81.08793333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 32° 4.864', W 81° 5.276'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds32° 4' 51.84" N, 81° 5' 16.56" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)478, 912
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 146-218 E River St, Savannah GA 31401, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. This marker needs at least one picture.
  8. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  9. Is the marker in the median?