Sherman’s March Away from Uncertainty in New York

Spencer Robbins

History 3000W

Sherman’s March Away from Uncertainty in New York

INTRODUCTION

The Civil War and its trials and tribulations brought about a “Golden Age” in journalism. Civilians flocked to news stands daily for updates from the front line of the war, and editors of major publications had the incredible power and responsibility to help shape public opinion in an arena where objectivity was not a major concern.^[1] One of the most important cities in this conflict and in the field of journalism was New York. The 1860’s saw a New York fully recovered from earlier economic turmoil and comprised of a large mix of peoples. The ambiguous narratives of its foreign populations was symbolic of a New York torn between a love for the Union, merchants with heavy ties to the South, and a social order based upon the racial implications of slavery. Thus, New York was a prosperous commercial center that would be decisive in victory, yet was torn between which side should win. This uncertainty and the prominence of the New York Press created a background on which public opinion could be shaped.

In 1864, Major General William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army led his soldiers through Georgia, leaving destroyed military targets, industrial factories, and civilian property in his wake. A large amount of research has been devoted to this campaign and its impact on civil war memory; and historiography on this subject tends to emphasize the role of the press in its digestion by the public.

Methodologically, it seems as though historical studies on Sherman’s march have focused on the press, on personal accounts (both civilian and military), or some combination of the two. Historians have analyzed the response to the march through personal accounts in the South, with a large focus on Georgia (particularly Savannah). While there seems to be a focus on southern response, there has been work on Union response to the event, however without a focus on New York.^[2]

This paper explores the public response to the march in the New York press from a new angle. Although studies have been done on the response in Georgia and its significance, I am left wondering how the influential press of New York responded to the event amidst a period of political uncertainty and anti-administration sentiment. With that question in mind, this paper will begin by providing context on the state of New York leading up to Sherman’s March from 1860-1864 and a brief background on the New York Press during this period. The paper then provides context on Sherman’s march and focuses on press releases about the march in the major New York publications The New York Times, The New York Herald, and The New York Daily News in order to display it as a turning point in public sentiment for the war in New York.

NEW YORK LEADING UP TO SHERMAN’S MARCH

Section One: 1860-1862

At the dawn of the Civil War New York City was in an international position of commercial strength. According to an 1860 Census, New York’s top ten cities by population produced 28% of the Nation’s goods by value and held 25% of total workforce in U.S (cities over 10,000 people)^[3] The city’s lucrative harbor provided incredible value to the Nation, and estimates claim that 75% of national imports passed through New York harbor in 1860.^[4] This period of prosperity came after a tumultuous depression in 1857, and on the back of efforts to push agendas in Women’s suffrage, nativism, and abolition. Thus, New York was a politically unstable yet prosperous trade center primed to play a major role in the coming Civil War.

As the war would soon arrive, New York was placed in a difficult position; The state was loyal to the Union but owed much of its prosperity to the Southern economy, and therefore, the institution of slavery. The economic gain experienced by New York as a result of the South was as conspicuous as it was appreciated by Northern merchants. In fact, an Economic study from 1860 put forth the claim that “all the profitable branches of freighting, brokering, selling, banking, insurance, etc, that grow out of the Southern products, are enjoyed in New York.”^[5] On average, five cotton states brought at least $200 million in business to the port each year, while New York held $200 million in credit outstanding to these Southern merchants^[6]. This relationship would have major implications for New York’s involvement in the war as extension of loose credit put the city’s merchants at risk of not receiving debt-payments from Southern planters if they did not sympathize with the Southern cause, which led to the attempt to avoid discussions of secession or war.^[7]