Back in high school history, we learned of General William Tecumseh Sherman’s march from Atlanta to the Sea during the Civil War. What we didn’t study so much was his march from the Sea (starting in Savannah, Georgia) going back north.

So, with that in mind, after convincing my wife, we got off busy I-95 in Hardeeville, South Carolina near the Georgia border to follow his march north along Highway 321 that goes from Savannah to Columbia. Hardeeville, though not named after the Confederate General of the same name, still reminds you of where we are. You can’t escape history in a place like this.

Jane is not particularly interested in my interest in the Civil War, so rolls her eyes a bit at the decision to leave the Interstate.

Yet, it is made easier when we find a lot less traffic along this road as we head north through small towns toward Columbia — the route of Sherman’s march north. It took us about three hours to reach Columbia. In 1865, it took Sherman 3 weeks to get there.

It is hard to visualize an Army of 60,000 men, mostly walking, knowing that they would have to fight their way home. There were 2,500 wagons, about 10,000 mules and several hundred horses involved in the march. In addition, as they moved north, more and more black slaves would join them looking for their freedom. So, there were a lot of people and animals to care for and to feed. They would march for over 400 miles before linking up with other Union troops and to reach needed supplies around Fayetteville, North Carolina.

The war between north and south during the Civil War was a fight between Americans, a bitter conflict which makes our current disagreements seem almost inconsequential.

Some of the greatest feelings of bitterness came from those who had been become Prisoners of War. Yet, even prisoners have hope and one of them, a man by the name of Byers, jailed in a prison in Columbia, had written a song honoring Sherman and his troops in hopes that he and his fellow Union POW’s could be rescued. Byers hand-delivered a copy of it to General Sherman when he ultimately arrived in Columbia on his way north. The refrain of five stanzas reflects the mood of prisoners who were hoping for freedom:

“Then sang we a song of our chieftain,

That echoed over river and lea;

And the stars of our banner shone brighter

When Sherman marched down to the sea!

Needless to say, Sherman was overwhelmed by the words. The author would become a member of Sherman’s staff and later, after the war, would become the American counsel in Zurich, Switzerland, where the two of them would meet again when the General visited that city on a European trip.

I have mixed feelings as we drive toward Columbia. I don’t feel euphoric or especially patriotic. I feel somber. My sister now lives in Columbia, and we are going to have lunch with her and my brother-in-law. We are looking forward to the visit, but had we been on this road with Sherman in 1865, and, had my sister been living there then — it could have likely been a very sad and sorrowful meeting.

Grateful? Yes, I do feel grateful that the Civil War ended in 1865 and is now in our “rear-view mirror.” The Nation has been reunited for over 150 years, and that is something we should all be thankful for.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.