Who Really Saved Savannah?: The Surprising Paradox

By Jack C. Wray

Savannah is one of the ten most sought travel destinations here and abroad. Her Southern charm, her well-preserved nineteenth-century architecture, her beautiful squares and brilliant city plan, her mystique, her attraction for Hollywood filming sites, and her casualyes, slowpace brings millions of tourists to visit every year. In 2013, thirteen million tourists spent over $2 billion in Savannah. Tourism grows in leaps every year.
One of the closest calls to total disaster happened in December of 1864 with the arrival of sixty-two thousand Union troops and Gen. Wm T. Sherman, Uncle Billy as his boys called him. This fifty-three-day heart-pounding, nail-biting, hair-raising horror story of her onion-skin-thin bare survival centers on the central question: who saved Savannah, really?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jul 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490762654

Jack C. Wray

As a resident of Savannah, Georgia, I have spent many years in the tour business with a special emphasis on how Savannah was spared burning by the Union Army under Gen. Wm. T. Sherman. I have relationships with historians here in Savannah with whom I have studied who are knowledgeable about Savannah’s history far beyond what textbooks offer. I also am aware of the mythical folklore passed on as accurate history by our education system and shaped by Hollywood that is in contrast to the truth. My passion as a tour guide is to speak truthfully about our history with raw data and facts. I have lived in Savannah for thirty-five years and have come to love her history, both colonial and civil war. It is a joy to introduce the beautiful lady to tourists and visitors to Savannah. Her history is so enjoyable to tell, both the joys and the sorrows.

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Copyright 2015 Jack C. Wray.

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ISBN:

978-1-4907-6264-7 (sc)

               978-1-4907-6265-4 (e)

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Contents

Preface—

Acknowledgments—

One —Sherman’s Georgia Campaign

Two—Arrival outside Savannah: Hardee’s Daunting Gray Stop Sign

Three—Capture of Fort McAllister

Four—Sherman in Carolina with Gen. John Foster

Five—Hardee’s Brazen Bluff

Six —Evacuation of Confederate Troops

Seven—Mayor Arnold’s Meeting and Letter

Eight—Mayor Arnold and Gen. John Geary

Nine—Charles Green’s Brilliant Business Decision

Ten—Sherman in Savannah

Epilogue—

Images—

Preface

When I moved to Savannah thirty-five years ago, I had no idea how much God’s providential grace would change my life. All through my high school, college, and seminary education, I did everything I could to run away from history courses. I hated history! But ten years ago, when Karen and I joined St. John’s Episcopal Church, my life began to change drastically. St. John’s owns the beautiful, historic Green-Meldrim House standing next to the church. The Green-Meldrim tour-guide chairman, Jane Pressly, asked me if I would be interested in being a docent for the beautiful house tours. I reluctantly agreed and immediately found myself immersed in a treasure of history that completely captured my interest and inspired my passion for a severely neglected part of my life. Realizing what a gold mine of history Savannah is, I soon got licensed with the city to do walking tours, spent two years driving and narrating carriage tours, and now am consumed with research