The advance of the Gunboats up the river to New Berne, N. Carolina. Passing the Barricade
Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
Telegram from General William T. Sherman to President Abraham Lincoln announcing the surrender of Savannah, Georgia, as a Christmas present to the President
- 12/22/1864
Transcript
By telegraph form Fort Monroe
Head-Quarters Military Division of the Mississippi,
[struck through]
To his Excellency Savannah, Dec 22 1864
President Lincoln
I beg to present you as a
Christmas Gift the City of
Savannah, with ^ one hundred and fifty ^ (150) heavy guns
and plenty of ammunition, and
also about ^ twenty five thousand ^ (25,000) bales of cotton.
[signed] W. T. Sherman
Maj Genl
33 Col / 7 p.m.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Office of the Secretary of War.
National Archives Identifier: 301637
Full Citation: Telegram from General William T. Sherman to President Abraham Lincoln announcing the surrender of Savannah, Georgia, as a Christmas present to the President; 12/22/1864; Telegrams Sent by the Field Office of the Military Telegraph and Collected by the Office of the Secretary of War., 1860–1870; Records of the Office of the Secretary of War, Record Group 107; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/telegram-sherman-to-lincoln-announcing-surrender-of-savannah/, May 29, 2026]
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