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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic) |
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Christmas in Savannah 1864
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By Mike Stroud, May 24, 2009 | |
| | | 1. Christmas in Savannah Marker | | |
Inscription. For, Savannah, Christmas 1864 was anything but a time
for merriment. Almost four years of war had taken the
lives of thousands of Georgians, destroyed millions of
dollars in property and left the state in chaos. As the
holiday approached, so did the relentless Union Army
led by William Tecumseh Sherman. For Union soldiers,
it was a time for jubilant celebration as Gen. Sherman
telegraphed President Lincoln, "Sir: I beg to present
to you as a Christmas gift, the City of Savannah with
150 heavy guns and plenty of ammunition; also about
25,000 bales of cotton."
(Left picture)
Innocent Victims of War Face Uncertain Future
In November 1864, Sherman initiated his historic
March to the Sea. With 57,000 infantry and 5,000
cavalry, 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 in
Savannah, in the full enjoyment of superb
quarters, fish, oysters and other good things and
our army relishes the condition of the affairs."
In Southern circles, "All talk was of burning
homes, houses knocked to pieces by balls,
famine, murder and desolation."
(Top center picture)
Pontoon Bridges Hasten Mass Exodus
In anticipation of Sherman's occupation of
Savannah, | | | | 
By Mike Stroud, 2009 | |
| | | 2. Christmas in Savannah 1864 Marker along the riverside | | |
Confederate generals ordered the
construction of pontoon bridges to assist in
the evacuation of the city. " Boards and
timbers from the city wharves and some
buildings were pried up to use for flooring,
and Rebels scoured the area for rice flats to
help float the bridges." An eyewitness
compared the stream of wagons, soldiers,
and civilians to an "immense funeral procession
stealing out of the city at the dead of night."
(Lower pictures)
(l) Burning Confederate Navy Vessels Light
Up the Christmas Season Sky, (r)
Captured Cotton on the Docks Made a White
Christmas
(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 as
Uncle Billy, he had little toleration and respect
for journalists or politicians. Prior to his onslaught
on the Southern states, Sherman proclaimed,
" War is the remedy of our enemies have
chosen 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."
Erected 2009 by U.S. Dept. Of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, Georgia Dept. of Transportation| | | | 
By Christmas in Savannah Marker | |
| | | 3. Christmas in Savannah Marker | | |
. (Marker Number 7.)
Location. 32° 4.864′ N, 81° 5.276′ W. Marker is in Savannah, Georgia, in Chatham County. Marker is on E. River St.. Click for map. Between Abercorn Ramp and Lincoln Ramp , at the Riverside. Marker is in this post office area: Savannah GA 31401, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Savannah's Cobblestones (within shouting distance of this marker); Savannah's Wharves (within shouting distance of this marker); Shipping in the Port of Savannah (within shouting distance of this marker); Confederate Savannah (about 300 feet away, in a direct line); Salzburger Monument of Reconciliation (about 300 feet away); The Georgia Hussars (about 300 feet away); Savannah, Birthplace of Prince Hall Masonry in Georgia (about 400 feet away); Solomon's Lodge No. 1 F.& A.M. (about 600 feet away). Click for a list of all markers in Savannah.
Also see . . . New Georgia Encyclopedia- Sherman's March to the Sea. marched across Georgia to the Atlantic Ocean to prove to the Confederate population that its government could not protect the people from invaders. (Submitted on May 28, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
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By Christmas in Savannah 1864 Marker, May 24, 2009 | |
| | | 4. Pontoon Bridges Hasten Mass Exodus , Innocent Victims of War Face Uncertain Future | | |
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By Christmas in Savannah Marker | |
| | | 5. Cartoon Mocks General's Holiday Generosity | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on May 28, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 849 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on May 28, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 2. submitted on May 30, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 28, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
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