Generals Grant and Sherman used total war to crush the South's ability to fight by destroying not just the army but also supplies and resources. This made it hard for the South to keep fighting, leading to quicker victories and helping to end the Civil War faster. It showed that the North was serious and would not back down until the South surrendered.
Why did Generals Grant and Sherman use a total war strategy and how did that strategy contribute to the end of the war? Make real short very short and like a 7th grader wrote it
3 answers
Generals Grant and Sherman used total war as a strategy during the Civil War. Total war means attacking not only the enemy's soldiers but also their supplies, homes, and resources. Grant believed that to win, the North needed to completely break the South’s will to fight. Sherman, on the other hand, led his famous march through the South, destroying railroads and burning crops along the way. This caused a lot of suffering for Southern civilians, which made them lose hope in their cause.
By targeting the South’s infrastructure, they made it harder for Confederate soldiers to get food and supplies. This strategy helped weaken the Southern army, making their defeat more likely. The destruction caused by total war also sent a message that the North was determined to win, no matter what. It showed that they wouldn't stop until the South surrendered.
As a result, many Southern soldiers felt discouraged, and support for the war began to fade. With fewer supplies and growing despair in the South, the Confederate Army struggled to continue fighting. Total war sped up the end of the Civil War by attacking the very foundation of the Southern economy and spirit. In the end, Grant and Sherman’s approach helped bring about the Union victory more quickly than traditional warfare methods might have.