Sherman's March

Originally broadcast on the History Channel, Sherman's March traces one of the most brutally effective military maneuvers executed in North America: Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's campaign with 100,000-plus troops moving from Atlanta to Savannah in the period from November 15 to December 22, 1864. Sherman's March to the Sea (as it was commonly called) resulted in a devastating sweep that wrecked Georgia's infrastructure and left the Confederate state in ruins. Based on Sherman's memoirs, as well as diaries from sources on both sides of the conflict, the film also features dramatic re-enactments and scholarly interviews that attempt to dissect the military mindset that ordered this extraordinary endeavor, as well as the economic, psychological, and physical damage wreaked on those who found themselves in the path of Sherman's ravaging forces. DVD extras include a bonus documentary on Sherman's “total war” tactics, and a “making-of” featurette. A fine complement to E.L. Doctorow's excellent novel The March, this is an instructive slice of American history that cannot help but spark comparisons with the lightning-quick, bring-them-to-their-knees damage wrought by the 2003 American “shock and awe” campaign against Iraq. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)