Unlike his march through Georgia, Sherman knew his men couldn’t rely on foraging in the harsh terrain ahead. He needed a massive supply line, so he brought roughly 2,500 wagons and 600 ambulances, supported by 68 artillery guns. The entire train stretched about 25 miles, slowly churning through water and thick, soup-like mud. To keep the army moving, pioneers built corduroy roads, felling trees, cutting logs, and laying them flat across the muddy paths.
Saplings were packed between the logs to create a more solid surface. It was exhausting, painstaking work, but Sherman’s forces pressed forward relentlessly, and their speed stunned Confederate commanders given the terrible conditions. General William Hardee later remarked, “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it happen. ” General Joseph E.
Johnston added, “When I learned that Sherman’s army was marching through the Salk Swamp, making its own corduroy roads at the rate of a dozen miles a day or more, and bringing its artillery with it, I made up my mind that there had been no such army in existence since the days of Julius Caesar. ”
Perhaps the highest praise came from a captured Confederate soldier, who reportedly said that if Sherman’s men were sent to hell, they’d corduroy it and march on. The remark captured the army’s determination and ability to overcome even the most brutal obstacles on their advance.