Sherman and his army came into Atlanta on September 2, 1864. Sherman had cleverly outmaneuvered General Hood and won the city with a minimum of lives lost. He immediately telegraphed Lincoln, saying, “Atlanta is ours, and fairly won.”

To this point, Sherman and the Army of the Mississippi had, indeed, performed well in the field, and in conquest, but the record was about to become muddied. Perhaps Sherman had already formed the idea in his mind, but his actions, commencing right after the capture of Atlanta, show a callous attitude toward the civilian population.