General Sherman's Christmas: Savannah, 1864

by Stanley Weintraub

Historian Stanley Weintraub, author of Silent Night , combines two winning topics—Christmas and the Civil War—in General Sherman’s Christmas , new from Smithsonian Books. Focusing on the holiday season of 1864, when General Sherman relentlessly pushed his troops across Georgia to capture Savannah, General Sherman’s Christmas includes the voices of soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict and is illustrated with striking period prints, making it the perfect holiday present for every history buff.

Genres: History, Civil War, Christmas, Nonfiction, American Civil War, Civil War Western Theater, Military History

238 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Weintraub was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 17, 1929. He was the eldest child of Benjamin and Ray Segal Weintraub. He attended South Philadelphia High School, and then he attended West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University of Pennsylvania) where he received his B.S. in education in 1949. He continued his education at Temple University where he received his master's degree in English “in absentia,” as he was called to duty in the Korean War.

He received a commission as Army Second Lieutenant, and served with the Eighth Army in Korea receiving a Bronze Star.

After the War, he enrolled at Pennsylvania State University in September 1953; his doctoral dissertation “Bernard Shaw, Novelist” was accepted on May 6, 1956.

Except for visiting appointments, he remained at Penn State for all of his career, finally attaining the rank of Evan Pugh Professor of Arts and Humanities, with emeritus status on retirement in 2000. From 1970 to 1990 he was also Director of Penn State’s Institute for the Arts and Humanistic Studies

Reviews

[Ben Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good recounting of Sherman’s march to Savannah from Altanta and the feelings around the soldiers, rebels, and “innocent” civilians that took the brunt of the Union action. Burning houses, property, businesses, and confiscating all valuable assets.

The author did a decent job of telling both sides. Needed confiscation of supplies can easily be spun as theivery, and vice versa. War is hell.

[Paul Haspel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting desperate for a last-minute gift as another Christmas draws near? Walking through your local Barnes & Noble, or surfing through the virtual vastness that is Amazon.com, do you find yourself looking at a book called General Sherman's Christmas and thinking, "Hey, it's got 'Christmas' in the title. This'll be a perfect last-minute Christmas present!"? My response to that impulse would be something on the order of, "Well, yes, but..."

Yes because General Sherman's Christmas: Savannah, 1864 is a well-written and interesting book. Author Stanley Weintraub, a professor emeritus of humanities from Penn State University, has taken up a habit of writing short, interesting general-interest historical works that relate in one way or another to the Christmas holiday. The first and best of these books, Silent Night (2001), tells in a singularly affecting manner the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914, when troops on both sides of World War I's Western Front battle lines spontaneously put down their guns and celebrated Christmas together -- peace on earth and goodwill to all, indeed. (The 2005 film Joyeux Noël, a French-British-German co-production, also tells this story in a powerful and moving way.) Weintraub's later Christmas books include General Washington's Christmas Farewell, about the victorious general's 1783 leave-taking from his troops and journey home to Mount Vernon, and 11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944, a chronicle of the way in which American GI's tried to celebrate Christmas while defending themselves against the brutal German winter offensive that has become known to history as the Battle of the Bulge. Weintraub's previous Christmas histories offer interesting historical narratives with a connection to the holiday season, and General Sherman's Christmas certainly fits within that tradition.

One can also see the factors of historical drama that drew Weintraub to the story of how Union General William T. Sherman came to celebrate the Christmas of 1864 in a city that had remained defiantly Confederate throughout the first three years of the American Civil War. Aficionados of Civil War history know well the story of how General Sherman marked the successful conclusion of his march from Atlanta to the sea by sending President Abraham Lincoln the following waggish telegram of holiday cheer:

"I beg to present you as a Christmas-gift the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton."

And yet -- and yet -- Sherman's March was certainly audacious in its conception and successful in its conclusion; I've always wondered if Sherman, an avid reader, may have been inspired by Xenophon's own successful March to the Sea across hostile territory, as recounted in the Anabasis. At the same time, however, it is not exactly the sort of thing that is likely to make anyone want to nominate Sherman as Holiday Cheermeister. It is a difficult campaign, with abundant examples of cruel and immoral behavior by people on both sides; and even the most staunchly Unionist reader is likely to be troubled by some of the ethical implications involved in the idea of a campaign with civilians and civilian morale as a primary target. James Reston Jr.'s book Sherman's March and Vietnam (1985) does an excellent job of exploring how the moral expediency of Sherman's March may have influenced subsequent American military policy.

Sherman's March, the only Civil War campaign that is always referred to in terms of a single general's name, haunts us all still, and shows up in the unlikeliest places -- as when, for example, documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee released his film Sherman's March (1986), a project that was intended as a serious examination of the long-term impact of the campaign upon the region of Georgia where it unfolded, but quickly devolved into a seriocomic account of McElwee's romantic entanglements with various women he met along the way. If you study Civil War history, or if you live anywhere in the State of Georgia, there is no getting away from Sherman's March and its legacy.

So how does Weintraub's book contribute to this discussion, and what does it all have to do with Christmas? The first seven chapters of this nine-chapter book offer a fairly conventional, if well-written, account of Sherman's March. Weintraub understands that the Union cause is the cause of right, and sympathizes with the unspeakable situation that enslaved people in Georgia faced before the arrival of Sherman's armies. At the same time, Weintraub eloquently criticizes Sherman's campaign through Georgia in terms of how it looked ahead to a future in which military campaigns against civilians would become the rule rather than the exception: "Leaving only a legacy of hatred, pillage as punishment had not worked in previous wars and would not work then, nor has it since" (p. 41).

Those who are reading this book solely for its links to the Christmas season may want to skip ahead to chapters 8 and 9, both of which deal with Sherman's arrival in Savannah, the Christmas of 1864 that unfolded there, and the circumstances under which that famous telegram was sent to President Lincoln. Those chapters contain some interesting information regarding the ways in which Christmas was observed in 19th-century America, and there is a lightness to those chapters that is decidedly missing from the rest of the book. Indeed, as I read these chapters I wondered if they might have served better as the heart of the book -- if, in other words, Weintraub could have quickly summarized the story of Sherman's March (a campaign that has been thoroughly anatomized in many, many prior books) and focused on that Christmas of 1864 as it was celebrated in Savannah, and eventually throughout the North.

General Sherman's Christmas: Savannah, 1864 is illustrated with helpful period woodcuts, though more in the way of maps might have helped further. For Christmastime readers looking for something holiday-related to place in the literal or proverbial stocking, this book makes for an interesting reading experience, though not a terribly uplifting or inspiring one.

[Michael Marcela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay overall. The writing is good but not great. I found my mind wandering at times while reading it and often had to go back and reread sections. Occasionally I had to reread a sentence to figure out what it was meaning or to check on punctuation to determine if it was an incomplete sentence or just awkward. Content wise it is similar to other historical works where paragraphs tends to be a series of sentences and quotes about what some person wrote in their diary or in a personal letter about the events of the time.

Chronologically, the books starts too early and ends too soon. Weintraub starts the book after the capture of Atlanta and prior to the March to the Sea. Most of the book focuses on the March and various sundry activities of bummers and the army as the walk across Georgia. He totally glosses over the Ebenezer Creek incident---probably the most controversial event of the March. He does convey the massive destruction to towns and civilian plantations along the way. There are several anecdotes that I had not read about before and found very interesting, such as the three little white girls found in a shotgun shack and taken in by soldiers who brought them all the way to Savannah and then found homes for them in the North after the March.

After spending two thirds of the book detailing the March, Sherman makes it to Savannah. Being I love the town of Savannah immensely, I much more enjoyed the last third of the book about Sherman's occupation and time in that city. But as Weintraub tells the story of the occupation up to New Year's Day, 1865, he all of sudden stops the book with no description of the withdrawal or how Savannah fared after Sherman's departure. I was left with wanting to know how the great city transitioned from being a Southern stronghold to Union occupied/controlled city as Sherman moved onto South Carolina. The lack of details about some incidents and the sudden stopping of the narrative about Savannah makes it feel like Weintraub was given a page limit for the book and had to write within that parameter. It made the book seemed rushed and incomplete. A longer book in this case would have been a better book.

Because of this "starts too early and ends too soon" problem and average non-fiction historical writing, I can only give this book two stars.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do not pick up this book expecting to read about Christmas during the Civil War because, despite it's title, there is not much about Christmas until the final two chapters of the book. Instead, this is the story of General Sherman's march from Atlanta to Savannah which started on Thanksgiving in 1864 and which ended just before Christmas when Savannah surrendered to Sherman. The author was inspired by Sherman's famous telegram to President Lincoln saying "I beg to present you as a Christmas-gift the city of Savannah...". This cut the south in two and spelled the end of the Civil War.

The book is not overly detailed and is geared more to the general reader than a serious Civil War buff or someone looking for a history of Sherman's march. There was very little in the way of battles during this leg of the march, mostly skirmishing with Southern cavalry (there were only about 550 total casualties in Sherman's army during this time). There are some tragic stories including one soldier finding two young girls (wearing flour sacks as clothing!) abandoned by their mother. His regiment took care of the girls and eventually found homes for them in the north, no Savannah residents wanted them. A very terrible and tragic event occurred telling of several hundred escaped slaves left on a river bank by General Davis of the Union Army (thousands were following Sherman's army) who would be re-captured by the South and returned to their owners. It caused outrage by others in the army.

The last two chapters are interesting describing how the various soldiers (from Sherman on down to the Union privates) as well as the civilians passed the Christmas in the now conquered Savannah under occupation.

The book could have used a few more maps, but is good reading even if not much about Christmas.

[Selma de Oliveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

In overall this book was a little tedious to read. Perhaps the author could have created more exciting dialogs or use sounds to make it interesting. But the reason I picked this book was because as a foreigner born overseas I have never learned American History in school. So it's important to me to learn more in depth about the Civil War and other passages of how the United States was formed. Then this book came in hand because it delivers the atrocities and details that are not mentioned much in history books. It's worth the reading.

[Glen Leavens · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Sherman's march after Atlanta to the coast. Facinating stories and reading. For the most part, Sherman was unapossed during his march to the sea. He even was ordered back to help Grant prior to Savanah falling.

[John Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but choppy.

[Anne Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up from 3.5 for a particularly good audio.

[Elizabeth Ricks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a heartfelt Christmas story from the Civil War. This wasn't exactly it. It was interesting but sad to hear about the atrocities of war.

[Adam Ricks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was looking for and not what I was expecting. Sad history of post-civil war situations in the South. Unless you are really interested in this, not worth reading. Atrocities of war.

[John Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-1/2 stars really! Helped me better understand AGAIN how much of our 400 year history has been white-washed and varnished to cover-up our stark white supremacy and the resulting caste system!

[Jennifer Bowman]

Well written with a lot of real life accounts and view points from both sides of America's worst years.

[Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful slice of the American Civil War Great insight into General Sherman I learned what a bummer is!! Must read for students of the Civil War

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how someone can write what feels like a rather short historical book and pack it with so much information. This is the second Weintraub book I've read in a month or two, and both appear to be rather short or even superficial until you dig in and find the research high quality and the information anything but shallow.

This is the account of the 60 days or so in 1864 that helped Lincoln overcome a deficit of uncertainty concerning his presidential future and firm up the chances of preserving the Union in the process.

This is a quick read filled with information on General Sherman's capture of Savannah during the Christmas season of 1864. If you come at this expecting a bunch of names and dates or detailed maps with lines delineating the progress of Union forces but otherwise boring you to tears, experience instant relief! This just isn't that kind of book. The author does a magnificent job of weaving primary sources into his accounts. You read with interest about an election in which soldiers were allowed to participate in significant numbers. There were challenges associated with that vote, and not every state was as cooperative as it might have been, but the soldiers seem to have broken heavily for Lincoln Following the election, the book traces Sherman's march through Georgia, providing an unflinching account of the pillaging and plundering that went on among Union forces. I've read varying accounts of this; some writers claim Union raiding wasn't as bad as it might have been; others say Sherman issued guidelines but did little to enforce them.

You can't help but be reminded of how tragic war is on so many levels. There's so much fascinating information here, too. Following the capture, southern churches refused to pray specifically for Mr. Lincoln despite their status as essentially a conquered group. You see the extreme hatred for Sherman's forces expressed by women, who insisted that even if their husbands were all killed, they would raise up sons to battle the yankees. If their sons were dead, the very ghosts of the husbands and sons would find a way to continue the battle.

While by necessity the author had to discuss some strategies for capturing Savannah, he doesn't obsess on those at the expense of a well-written account. Weintraub never bogs down in the way that a lesser writer might, and he provides a well-balanced look at Sherman's experiences in capturing Savannah. Incidentally, despite its title, this is decidedly not a cuddly Christmas book.

[Jacqueline Elsner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this on audiobook. Pretty good. Filled with first person accounts from Union soldiers and officers, which I respect.

Being a Georgian, and no lover of the Confereracy or it's States Rights basis for slavery, I still found it hard to read of the war on civilians. I guess I know a bit about the common man's other side of the story.
I have no love lost for the slave owners. I championed the episode when Sherman's March arrived at a South Georgia plantation owned by Howell Cobb, an Athens, GA prominent slave owner.
But Sherman's March To The Sea pretty much clinched the Total War pattern of warfare. Sherman nailed it when he said, "War is Hell."

[Catherine Flusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The quiet grace at tea with Mrs. Cornwell; the "cordial" overnight invitation to Howard; the "kindly" offer of a guard, while nearby residences reportedly burned wholesale; the Cornwell plantation itself confiscated of everything edible and on the hoof, and then ruined; the family left nearly without food for days; and the house threatened with burning, yet protected; the return of household goods--all these juxtapose contradictions not easily reconciled, yet integral to the surreality of the march to the sea."

A really good read on Sherman's march.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief book about the March to the Sea and the capture of Savannah, focusing mostly on the Union army. For the last couple chapters, the book switches to being a social history, describing the civilian reaction to the Union occupation and the celebration of Christmas 1864. Rather than using endnotes and a bibliography, the author discusses the sources used for each chapter in a separate essay at the end of the book.

While not a bad book generally, personally I found it a little short on the military analysis of the campaign.

[James Crabtree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks at the March to the Sea as well as the final assault that resulted in the evacuation of Savannah to the Yankees. It's a fascinating story, if not a bit less detailed than other books on the subject. Weintraub uses personal recollections whenever possible to illustrate both sides of the conflict and the difficulties that the Union soldiers had in making the march, as well as the suffering of the civilians in the path of Sherman's juggernaut. The employs a Christmas theme and is well-written. Illustrated with a map and drawings.

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to "know" General Sherman more through reading this book. I especially enjoyed the quotes from his letters to Ellen, his wife. No gruesome details are spared about war and its results, but the vividness of the descriptions makes the reader experience what was happening.

[Trevor Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a bit misleading. It's not so much about Sherman's experience in Savannah, GA, but rather just a narrative about the famous "March To The Sea" in general. Still, it makes use of interesting sources and accounts, and it's a lively read.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book that details Sherman's march through Georgia and his army's arrival in Savannah in time for the final Christmas of the Civil War. Personal accounts from both soldiers and civilians give life to the story, which happened 150 years ago this week. Good reading.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but found myself easily distracted from it. That wasn't necessarily a problem. It was easy to get back into it because much of it was paragraph or two anecdotes and it wasn't hard to remember the topic. It was just annoying because it should have been a quicker read for me.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dad said this was excellent.

[ROBERT Block · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE METHDICAL SHERMAN ON HIS QUEST FOR SAVANNAH,REALLY GREAT DETAILED LOOK AT THIS GREAT MOVE FOR THE UNION

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good overview of Sherman's march through Georgia in late 1864. What makes this an outstanding book is the use of primary source material.

[Bill Powers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining summary of the events leading from Sherman's assault on Atlanta to his march on Savannah and his gift of Savannah to Lincoln for Christmas 1864.

[Molly Elder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would probably rate this higher if I were taking a course on the Civil War. It was generally well-written, although the writing itself dragged in spots.

[David Barney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good details into Sherman's march to the sea. And from the people of Georgia.

[Keith Lovell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too unionist for me and apologetic.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it, really showed Sherman in a more humane way