Why was the Union POW camp at Andersonville not liberated during Sherman's "March to the Sea"?

Question

During the American Civil War, Sherman skirted Andersonville on his march to Savannah. Why?

Answer 1

He did not "skirt" Andersonville. It was well out of the way of his proposed "March to the Sea".
Sherman's orders were to cut the south in half thereby shortening the war. That was his first priority.
Leaving Confederate troops guarding prisoners meant they weren't fighting Union troops.
At the time Sherman was concerned about Hood and was reluctant to split his force.
He allowed Gen. Stoneman to try and free prisoners in Macon and Andersonville prisons. That failed and cost the Union 2,000 casualties. He regretted that decision.

Answer 2

As Sherman advanced towards Savannah, Union troops maintained control of the railroads behind them as well as the South's primary rail hub at Chattanooga. Had Sherman liberated Andersonville, I don't think that the freed POW's would have been such a logistical nightmare, albeit an Andersonville liberation would certainly result in Union casualties, and a delay in the March to the Sea.
If Andersonville was liberated, the newly-freed soldiers would most likely have been sent to Chattanooga via rail, and then from there they would have traveled north, to hospitals or home, again by train. In addition, I don't think Sherman knew of the extreme condition of the Union prisoners. And, to echo some of the prior posts, I also agree that Sherman was not going to do anything that might cause a delay to his overall strategy of taking Savannah and destroying Georgia along the way.

Answer 3

Let's say Sherman liberates the camp, now what?

He marched away from his objective, lost casualties liberating the camp, gave time for a confederate response to form, and now has in tow thousands of half-starved, horribly weakened former POW's. These men will make foraging harder to do, and will slow the pace of the campaign to a crawl.

What's so bad about that, they helped out the POW's right?

Well, if they did do that, their lethargic trip through the south would have caused the army to be at risk of attack from actual confederate troops. If brought to battle, the newly arrived POW's would've been more a hinderance than a help, because they eliminate the possiblity of a tactial retreat from battle.

Sherman's goal was to destroy southern infastructure, cutting it into three pieces; the Mississippi forming one line(not done by Sherman), and Sherman's march of devastation the other line. Such an action crippled a break-away state, which was already unable to adequately fight a modern war due to the south's horribly limited industrial capacity. Sherman accomplished his goal, and likely sped the the defeat of the Confederacy, inderectly helping the POW's at Andersonville.

Answer 4

They should have hung Sherman for war crimes for ravaging and burning the South...

It is still an incident that could be debated. Many say that he did not know of the conditions of Andersonville. At that time, there was no "Geneva Convention". The British in the Revolutionary War actually threw prisoners into overcrowded prison ships and let them starve or die from diseases easily contracted from such an environment.

Personally, I believe he had an overwhelming zeal to prove himself a good general. In the end it was stubborn pride and selfish ambition that caused him not to offer much assistance to those imprisoned in Andersonville - not that he "was just obeying orders".

Answer 5

howdy, J.S. i will leap in and assist you Sherman's large march to the sea grow to be the 1st use of the belief understand as entire conflict. He grow to be going to made the rustic no longer able to assist the army by way of attack the help structures and money of the troops. The troops marched by way of Georgia. Burning 30% of the capital Atlanta.(Sorry he basically burned down your warehouses and something that help the south combat) The railroads and telegraph lines to break communique and grant lines. Sherman feed and offered his adult men the comparable as Napoleon, stay of the land. They took from the farms and plantation their foodstuff and shops. Any riches, it particularly is the spoils of conflict if the South recollects whilst they take are weapons,uniforms, and different issues as nicely. He then took Savanna a good port for him and a lose of a grant area for the South. He then marched forward to be the shifting area of a vise to close Lee between him and grant. His action killed the revolt and took the combat out of the South. basically 2 cities have been given burned to the floor. Columbia and a small city in Georgia called Millen. Millen grow to be next to a POW camp have been Captuered Union solders lived worst then in Andersonvile.

Answer 6

Sherman went toward the SE of Ga and never got close to Andersonville.

Answer 7

Because the march to the sea was to be a self-sufficient as fast as possible trip and it would have made the mission a lot more difficult to do with a bunch of starving abused POWs in tow.

Answer 8

He was following his orders which were to divide the Southern forces and to deprive them of any supplies. In this he was successful and thereby shortened the War by many months, if not years. He DID NOT enjoy doing many of the things his Army was ordered to do - but DID recognize the military value in doing so.
Further, Andersonville, even if he could get to it, was well out of his way and another General was tasked with liberating it. He was not aware of how horrific the conditions were for the Union soldiers.

Answer 9

Because Sherman was too busy plundering and burning Southern cities to the ground...
~

Answer 10

cause sherman was a jerk