Key Facts
- Duration
- January 1 – April 26, 1865
- Theater
- Western Theater, American Civil War
- Starting point
- Savannah, Georgia
- Decisive engagement
- Battle of Bentonville
- Surrender date
- April 26, 1865
Strategic Narrative Overview
Sherman advanced from Savannah on January 1, 1865, driving through South Carolina and then North Carolina. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston assembled what forces remained to contest the advance. The climactic engagement came at the Battle of Bentonville in March 1865, where Johnston attempted to strike Sherman's army while it was divided on the march. The Confederate assault failed to halt the Union advance, and Sherman continued north toward a junction with Grant's forces.
01 / The Origins
Following the fall of Savannah, Georgia, in December 1864, Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman sought to press north through the Carolinas to link his army with Union forces operating in Virginia under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. The campaign aimed to tighten the strategic vise around remaining Confederate armies and hasten the collapse of the Confederacy by cutting off supply lines and demoralizing the Southern population.
03 / The Outcome
Johnston's army was defeated at Bentonville and, with no viable strategic options remaining, Johnston entered negotiations with Sherman. On April 26, 1865 — two weeks after Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House — Johnston surrendered unconditionally, ending Confederate resistance in the Western Theater and signaling that the Civil War was effectively over.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
William T. Sherman.
Side B
1 belligerent
Joseph E. Johnston.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.