He understood Hood very well. In Hood’s situation, Sherman might have been lured into similar mistakes (both men had fiery tempers). But Sherman knew that the terrain and the numbers both favored him, and he could afford to let Hood make mistakes. One led to another, and by the first day of September 1864, Sherman had a death grip on the city of Atlanta.

Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, Hood evacuated the remains of his army from Atlanta. A set of railway cars intended to carry away the Confederate ordnance had to be abandoned, and Hood ordered them to be set afire. This was the beginning of the destruction that was to mark Atlanta and the rest of the campaign that was bringing “total war” to the Confederacy.