By the second week in December the goal was reached - Savannah and
the sea. Here the army joined hands with the navy. Fort McAllister,
which defended the south side of the city, was taken by a brilliant
assault, and Sherman prepared for a siege of Savannah both by land
and water. But in the night the Confederates quietly slipped out
of the city, and retreated across the swamps. When their flight
was discovered they were already beyond reach of pursuit, and with
hardly a blow struck, the city of Savannah fell into the hands of
the Federals.
The great march had ended triumphantly on December 21. "I beg to
present to you, as a Christmas gift," wrote Sherman to Lincoln,
"the city of Savannah with a hundred and fifty-nine heavy guns and
plenty of ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of
cotton."
This news followed hard on the news of another victory. For
on December 15th and 16th the Federals under General George H.
Thomas had fought a great battle at Nashville, Tennessee, in which
the Confederates had been defeated. By this battle their strength
beyond the Alleghenies was practically crushed, so as the year 1864
closed, the hopes of the Federals rose high.
Early in 1865 still another victory was recorded in the taking
of Fort Fisher in North Carolina. This was the last port in the
possession of the Confederates.
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