Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia.

My name is Jody Avergan.

This day, November 15, 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army left the

city of Atlanta and embarked on what would come to be known as Sherman's March to the Sea.

A two-month trek east to the city of Savannah during which

troops would destroy infrastructure transportation, supply lines, an attempt to, quote,

break the back of the Confederacy.

Sherman's March would also become one of the most enduring stories told about the Civil War

and one that is no surprise full of a mix of fact and myth and agenda. And I think that's kind of the most interesting part of this story

which we will get into but I first want to just read a little bit from Sherman's journals on this day

just as he's embarking on this on this journey he writes quote we

rode out of Atlanta by the Decatur Road filled by the marching troops and wagons of

the 14th Corps and reaching the hill just outside the old rebel works we naturally pause to look back upon the scenes of our past battles.

Behind us lay Atlanta smoldering and in ruins the black smoke rising high in air and hanging like a pall over the ruined city.

Then he goes on to talk about how a band starts playing John Brown's body and so forth and so forth.

But you have to wonder how could it seem like that possibly lead to

myth and misinterpretation but here to discuss that as always are Nicole

Hammer of Columbia and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wellesley.

Hello there.

Hello Jody.

Hey there.

And our guest for this episode is Anne Sarah Rubin Professor of History at the University of Maryland

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