The March to the Sea

The March to the Sea is a Georgia historical marker in Fulton County, dedicated 1957.

At Atlanta City Hall, on Washington St. near Mitchell St. in Atlanta.

Get directions ↗Start a road trip Historical trails

On Nov. 15, 1864, after destroying Atlanta and cutting his communications with the North, Maj. Gen. W. T. Sherman, USA, began his destructive campaign for Savannah - the March to the Sea. He divided his Army (US) (60,000 infantry and artillery and 5,500 cavalry) into two wings, one to move via McDonough and Monticello to Gordon, feinting at Macon, the other via Covington and Madison, feinting at Augusta. The right wing (15th and 17th Corps), Maj. Gen. O. O. Howard, USA, marched from bivouac areas in the vicinity of White Hall (West End) early that morning, the 15th Corps toward Jonesboro, the 17th Corps toward McDonough. The 3rd Cavalry Division, Brig. Gen. J. L. Kilpatrick, USA, covered the right wing. The Left Wing (14th and 20th Corps), Maj. Gen. H. W. Slocum, USA, marched from bivouac areas in and around Atlanta, the 20th Corps to Stone Mountain on the 15th and the 14th Corps, accompanied by General Sherman and his staff, to Lithonia the next day. The Provost Guard (2nd and 33d Massachusetts and 111th Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry) was the last unit to leave Atlanta, marching behind the 14th Corps on Nov. 16th. During the four days preceding the departure, the work of destruction had been so thorough that when General Sherman mounted his horse, here at the John Neal house, early on Nov. 16th, his Chief Engineer, Capt. Orlando M. Poe. CE, stated that "for military purposes the city of Atlanta has ceased to exist."

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1856 · Georgia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1866 · Georgia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1869 · Georgia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1874 · Military Operations of the Atlanta Campaign. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
Historical map (Stanford Libraries)

Military Operations of the Atlanta Campaign, 1874, covering the location of The March to the Sea, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Military Operations of the Atlanta Campaign, 1874, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

Example

For example, one family's tree showed the Articles of Confederation marker in Pennsylvania standing under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s.

What that marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years there.

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

This historical marker is part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program and was erected by the Georgia Historical Commission. Marker texts and locations come from the Society's own marker database.

More markers nearby

Historic Groundunder 1 mi
Immaculate Conception Churchunder 1 mi
The Burning and Destruction of Atlantaunder 1 mi
Fulton Countyunder 1 mi

On the National Register nearby

Atlanta City Hall240 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.