What the Yankees Did to Us: Sherman’s Bombardment and Wrecking of Atlanta by Stephen Davis (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: What the Yankees Did to Us: Sherman’s Bombardment and Wrecking of Atlanta by Stephen Davis Joseph M. Rizzo What the Yankees Did to Us: Sherman’s Bombardment and Wrecking of Atlanta. Stephen Davis. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0-88146-398-9, 600 pp., cloth, $35.00. Since the city’s destruction in 1864, the “wrecking” of Atlanta has served as a polarizing topic of the Civil War. From Atlantans debating the necessity of William T. Sherman’s decisions both during and immediately following the war, to the mock trials of Federal actions held by historical societies, to the images of Atlanta burning in Gone with the Wind, Americans have long struggled with this aspect of war that does not fit into tales of military maneuvers and bravery on the battlefield. In What the Yankees Did to Us, Stephen Davis utilizes newspapers, military correspondence, and civilian writings to give an exhaustive account of both the shelling of Atlanta and the city’s subsequent occupation, a topic largely obscured by Atlanta’s burning in November 1864. While Davis discusses Atlanta’s growth in the antebellum era and its importance to the Confederate war effort, the core of this work chronicles the six-month period of the Union approach and eventual burning of the city. It also explores many of the myths and debates that surround Sherman’s actions during this time. Sherman’s decision not to give notice before shelling sparked outrage among Atlanta’s residents. Sherman believed his actions were within the rules of war and that the [End Page 345] bombing was of military necessity. Davis, however, questions the bombings’ necessity and effectiveness. Sherman sought to damage Atlanta’s war-munitions industry, divert the Confederates’ attention from the maneuverings of Union soldiers around the city, and demoralize the Confederate soldiers. Yet, Davis shows that the bombing failed to meet these objectives and did not contribute to Sherman’s success on either the strategic or tactical levels. While the shelling had little significance for taking the city, the thirty-seven-day bombardment was quite destructive, nonetheless. By the end of the barrage on August 25, Davis believes that at least five hundred tons of iron lay in and around downtown Atlanta, due to the constant shelling during the campaign. He also estimates roughly two-dozen civilian shell deaths, making this arguably the bloodiest urban barrage of the war. To demonstrate the needlessness of shelling Atlanta, Davis highlights the successful Federal maneuvers around the city. Sherman did not resort to frontal attacks on Confederate fortifications to compliment the urban bombing. Federal forces effectively extended their position around two-thirds of the city and slowly cut the railroad lines. When they cut the Macon & Western Railroad to the south, they severed John Bell Hood’s last link for supplies, leaving him little choice but to evacuate Confederate forces. It was this well-executed plan, not the extended bombardment of the city, that captured Atlanta. Once in the city, Sherman again raised the ire of southerners. Davis details how Sherman’s order for residents to evacuate, along with the demolition of buildings, the occupation of private homes for military purposes, and finally the burning of the city once the Union army left, generated debates over proper wartime conduct. Davis illuminates the ambivalence the city’s residents held for Sherman after the war. Upon his returns in 1879 and 1886, Atlantans cordially received him, a surprising outcome, considering the destruction under his command. The residents still strongly disapproved of the demolition and human suffering that had accompanied Union occupation, but there was a sense that the destruction allowed for a better city to emerge. From the ashes, Atlantans rebuilt and improved for future generations. It is for this reason, Davis contends, that Atlantans have waffled in attitudes toward Sherman—ranging from vilification to admiration, and cursing him for his destruction, yet thanking him for what it allowed Atlanta to become. What the Yankees Did to Us provides a detailed and well-structured account of Atlanta during the war, despite the lengthy chapters making it at times cumbersome. Davis ably examines critical periods and issues to help separate historical...