You should really try to understand Sherman, rather than dwell on what you think he should have done.
Sherman:
“My aim, then, was to whip the rebels, to humble their pride, to follow them to their inmost recesses, and make them fear and dread us. Fear is the beginning of wisdom.”
You make it sound a little like Sherman was out for vengeance over the Confederacy's starting the war. I know at the time an awful lot of people in the north felt that way. As far as the March to the Sea advancing Lincoln's reelection, I don't buy that. A lot of people in the northern states, including Lincoln himself, were worried about Sherman being destroyed or trapped. They were very relieved when Uncle Billy finally reached Savannah in December. 7mm
"Preserving the Constitution, fighting off the nibblers and chippers, even nibblers and chippers with good intentions, was once regarded by conservatives as the first duty of the citizen. It still is." � Wesley Pruden
