In the final stages of his famous 'March to the Sea,' Major General William Tecumseh Sherman aimed to dismantle the Confederate war effort by targeting infrastructure, supply lines, and civilian morale. Following the capture of Atlanta in September 1864, Sherman initiated his famed march towards Savannah, employing a strategy that emphasized speed, surprise, and destruction. His troops advanced through Georgia, cutting a swath of devastation that was meant to show the Confederacy the futility of continuing the war.

By early December, Sherman's forces had entered the outskirts of Savannah, facing the newly erected outer defenses installed by Confederate General William Hardee. The Union troops approached with a combination of confidence and determination, ready to lay siege to the city. Sherman's tactics also aimed to liberate enslaved people along the route, adding a moral dimension to the military campaign as they moved closer to the Atlantic, which would provide supply routes for Union forces.

On December 10, 1864, as Sherman's troops reached the outskirts of Savannah, they prepared for what would become a crucial battle. The Confederates, desperate yet determined, were overstretched and suffered from low morale. Sherman's success in reaching Savannah not only indicated a significant military achievement but also signaled a key turning point in the war as the Union poised to launch a full-scale assault against one of the Confederacy's most important ports.