Monthly Archives: November 2018

Meeting of November 27, 2018

Jim Rhetta on “Paying for the Civil War”

A very significant and invariably overlooked component to any conflict is that fact that it has to be paid for. Historian focus on tactical and strategic decisions and actions and commonly ignore the revenue sources necessary to maintain an effectively military force. Two examples will be presented of cases where Nations ran out of funds to continue a conflict, and the impacts of one to this day.

This presentation will cover how both sides funded their forces in the Civil War from the only three sources still available to nations today – Taxes, Bonds, and Printing Money. Both sides used a mix of these three sources in different ratios and faced social and economic limitations on how much could be extracted from each funding source. The amount of funds raised and management of the National economies involved had a strong correlation to the tactical results of the Civil War.

Meeting Minutes November 2018

Quiz for November 27, 2018

What Do You Know About Sherman’s March to the Sea?

Q#1 – Initially, Sherman’s March to the Sea had a more formal and official name; what was that name?

Q#2 – What was the primary objective that Grant & Sherman hoped to accomplish with Sherman’s March to the Sea?

Q#3 – The terrain of southeastern Georgia between Atlanta and Savannah was swampy and criss-crossed with numerous rivers and streams. What was the name of the man who was Sherman’s Chief of the Bridge Building Team?

Q#4 – For the campaign, Sherman’s force consisted of 62,000 men: 55,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 2,000 artillerymen manning 64 guns. What marching formation did Sherman establish for his troops?

Q#5 – Confederate John Bell Hood had taken the bulk of his forces in Georgia on his campaign to Tennessee in hopes of diverting Sherman to pursue him. What was Sherman quoted as saying in response to Hood’s maneuver?

Q#6 – What was the name of the military unit that served as Sherman’s personal escort on the march?

Q#7 – The 300-mile march began on November 15. The first real Confederate resistance was felt by Union General Howard’s right wing on November 22. What was the name of this battle and the results?

Q#8 – In what order did Sherman align his troops as they marched through Georgia?

Q#9 – What orders did General Sherman give to his foragers?

Q#10 – Southern civilians with property in the line of march, before Union troops reached their properties attempted to hide their food and valuables. What two groups of people did the Union troops rely on to help them find these hidden items?

Q#11 – On the few occasions when Union foragers were captured by Confederate troops while they were taking goods from Southern citizens, what was usually their fate?

Q#12 – As Sherman’s march continued towards Savannah, they were joined by a group of approximately 25,000 people. Who were these people?

Q#13 – On December 8, 1864, what tragic incident occurred at a place called Ebeneezer Creek located about 20 miles north of the city of Savannah?

Q#14 – When Sherman’s armies reached the outskirts of Savannah on December 10, what actions did they find that Confederate General William Hardee had performed which blocked Sherman from linking up with the U.S. Navy as he had planned?

Q#15 – On December 17, 1864, Sherman sent a note to Confederate General Hardee demanding the surrender of the city of Savannah. What were Hardee’s and the City of Savannah’s responses?