In addition to a cavalry division, Sherman's forces comprised two armies or wings. The right wing/southern column, the Army of the Tennessee, marched along the Georgia railroad, the Macon and Western railroad. The left-wing or Army of Georgia, led by General Henry Warner Slocum, marched following the Georgia railroad, feinting toward Augusta, Georgia. Sherman's plan was to confuse the Confederate Army as to his objectives. His initial target was Georgia's then-state capital Milledgeville, Georgia, captured on November 22, 1864. The ultimate objective was Savannah, captured and occupied on December 21, 1864. This March to the Sea or Savannah Campaign, was among the most effective campaigns of the Civil War. Nevins, Allan (1971). The War for the Union: Volume IV: The Organized War to Victory, 1864–1865. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 162. .
