Sherman's neckties facts for kids
Sherman's neckties were a special way to destroy railroad tracks during the American Civil War. They are named after William Tecumseh Sherman, a top general in the Union Army. These "neckties" were made by heating railroad rails until they were soft enough to bend. Then, soldiers would twist them into loops, often around trees, making them look like giant neckties.
It was very hard for the Confederate side to fix these destroyed tracks. This was because they didn't have many iron supplies or factories to make new rails. People also called them Sherman's Bowties, Jeff Davis's Neckties, or Sherman's hairpins.
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What Were Sherman's Neckties?
Sherman's neckties were a clever way to stop the enemy from using railroads. Railroads were super important during the Civil War. They were used to move soldiers, weapons, food, and other supplies quickly. If you could destroy the tracks, you could slow down or stop the enemy's army.
How Were They Made?
General Sherman gave specific orders on how to destroy the tracks. His soldiers would:
- Tear up the railroad tracks.
- Pile the wooden ties (the pieces of wood under the rails) into big bonfires.
- Place the metal rails across the fires.
- Wait until the rails became red-hot and soft in the middle.
- Have a soldier at each end of the hot rail twist it. This made the rail spiral-shaped, so it couldn't be used again.
Sherman knew that if the rails were just bent, they could be straightened and reused. But if they were twisted into a spiral, they were completely useless.
Officers should be instructed that bars simply bent may be used again, but when red hot they are twisted out of line they cannot be used again. Pile the ties into shape for a bonfire, put the rails across and when red hot in the middle, let a man at each end twist the bar so that its surface becomes spiral.
—Wm. T. Sherman, Special Field Orders, July 18, 1864.
Why Were They Used?
Sherman first ordered the use of these neckties during his Atlanta Campaign in 1864. After just three days of this destruction, only one Confederate railroad line going into Atlanta was left working.
Sherman's neckties were also a big part of his famous Sherman's March to the Sea. This was a military campaign where Sherman wanted to bring "hard war" to the Confederacy. This meant causing serious damage to their buildings, roads, and other important things.
Sherman and Union Army commander Ulysses S. Grant believed that the war would only end if the Confederacy's ability to fight was completely broken. This included breaking their military power, their economy, and their will to keep fighting. They used "scorched earth" policies, which meant destroying anything that could help the enemy.
Who Else Used This Tactic?
Later in 1864, during the Franklin–Nashville campaign, the Confederates also used similar tactics. They destroyed parts of Sherman's supply line, the Western and Atlantic Railroad. The rails they twisted were called "Old Mrs. Lincoln's Hair Pins" by the soldiers of the Army of Tennessee.
