Atlanta was cleared of its bluecoats and set on fire to prevent it from being used as logistical support by the Confederates pursuing Sherman as he fled toward the Atlantic. The Union general cut his supply lines and launched a dash toward Savannah. To do this, he did not hesitate to resort to total warfare, with full civilian involvement, a move that would write further chapters of 20th-century history. Hood’s Confederates attempted to advance into Tennessee through the Allatoona Pass but were stopped. To avoid being followed, Sherman even ordered the dismantled rails to be heated to high temperatures and wrapped around trees with hammer blows. These rails can still be admired at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond (nicknamed “Sherman Neckties”).
