# Sherman's March to the Sea *the left wing, Milledgeville to Savannah* Sherman's March to the Sea is a ~185-mile back-roads route from Milledgeville to Savannah on GA 24 and GA 21, driven in 2 days, that stays off I-16 through the Deep South. - **Drive:** Milledgeville → Savannah - **Distance:** ~185 mi - **Days:** 2 - **Highways:** GA 24, GA 21 - **Avoids:** I-16 - **Region:** Deep South - **Themes:** Civil War, History & Markers, Small Towns, Natural Beauty In November 1864 Sherman cut loose from Atlanta and marched 60,000 men to the sea in two great wings. This route shadows the left: the abandoned capital at Milledgeville where his troops held a mock legislature, the prison stockade at Camp Lawton, and Ebenezer Creek, where a Union general pulled up the pontoons and left hundreds of freed refugees to drown. It ends at the Savannah mansion where Sherman wired Lincoln the city as a Christmas gift. Markers: March to the Sea heritage-trail markers pace GA 24 and 21; read Ebenezer Creek's carefully. ## The drive, segment by segment ### The Capital Falls *Milledgeville → Louisville · ~55 mi* The Gothic statehouse, Sherman's mansion headquarters, and Georgia's earlier capital at Louisville with its grim old market. Stops: - **Georgia's Old Capital** (Milledgeville) · Civil War — The Gothic statehouse the legislature fled in 1864; Union troops convened a mock session and repealed secession for laughs. - **Old Governor's Mansion** (Milledgeville) · History & Markers — A Palladian landmark where Sherman headquartered in November 1864; the restoration is museum-grade. - **Louisville Market House** (Louisville) · History & Markers — An open-air market from Georgia's 1790s capital era, long associated with sales of enslaved people; the town keeps it standing to say so plainly. ### Camp Lawton *Louisville → Millen · ~35 mi* The enormous stockade built to relieve Andersonville, now under Magnolia Springs' pines. Stops: - **Magnolia Springs & Camp Lawton** (Millen) · Civil War — A crystalline spring inside a state park that was briefly the world's largest prison stockade; archaeology keeps recovering the prisoners' buried lives. ### Ebenezer Creek *Millen → Savannah · ~95 mi* The Salzburgers' Jerusalem Church, the creek crossing's tragedy, and the Christmas-gift city. Stops: - **Ebenezer Creek** (Rincon) · Civil War — In December 1864, Union Gen. Jefferson C. Davis pulled his pontoon bridge, stranding hundreds of freed people who drowned fleeing Confederate cavalry. The marker holds nothing back. - **Jerusalem Lutheran Church** (New Ebenezer) · History & Markers — The 1769 brick church of the Salzburger exiles, often called Georgia's oldest standing church, swan weathervane and all. - **Green-Meldrim House** (Savannah) · Civil War — Sherman's Savannah headquarters, where he telegraphed Lincoln the city as a Christmas gift, 1864's most theatrical war dispatch. ## Tips and best time to go - Pair with Sherman's Carolinas route northbound for the campaign's full second act. - Ebenezer Creek is also a blackwater paddle; outfitters run it when levels cooperate. ## Worth a detour - **George L. Smith State Park** — A cypress-and-tupelo mill pond you paddle through, gristmill covered bridge intact. The prettiest detour on the march. - **Savannah-Ogeechee Canal** — An 1830s canal's locks and towpath in the pine flats southwest of the city; the museum explains the mule economics. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long is Sherman's March to the Sea and how many days does it take? Sherman's March to the Sea is about 185 miles and takes 2 days at a back-roads pace. ### Where does Sherman's March to the Sea start and end? It runs from Milledgeville to Savannah. ### Which highways does Sherman's March to the Sea follow? It follows GA 24 and GA 21. ### Which interstate does Sherman's March to the Sea replace? It avoids I-16, using GA 24 and GA 21 instead. ### How many stops are on Sherman's March to the Sea, and what are the highlights? 7 stops are mapped, including Georgia's Old Capital, Old Governor's Mansion, Louisville Market House, Magnolia Springs & Camp Lawton and Ebenezer Creek. ### Which ready-made itineraries include Sherman's March to the Sea? Sherman's March to the Sea (2 days) and Atlanta to Savannah to Charleston (4 days). ## Ready-made itineraries using this route - [Sherman's March to the Sea](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/sherman-sea) — 2 days, ~210 mi - [Atlanta to Savannah to Charleston](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/atlanta-savannah-charleston) — 4 days, ~420 mi ## Connects with - [Golden Isles & the First Coast](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/golden-isles) — Savannah → St. Augustine - [Kings Highway & the Lowcountry](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/us17-lowcountry) — Wilmington → Savannah - [Plains & Andersonville](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/plains-andersonville) — Macon → Plains --- Canonical URL: https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/sherman-march-sea Publisher: Dixie Media (Dixie Road Trip, https://dixieroadtrip.com/) Last updated: 2026-10-05