“The wind was a living thing, and it had a voice, and its voice was the voice of the dead.”
— Early in the march, experiencing the harsh winter and the lingering presence of war.
Archivist's Choice
The March
E.L. Doctorow (2005)
Genre
Literary Fiction / Historical Fiction
Reading Time
600 min
Key Themes
See below
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Sherman's army marches through the Confederate South, creating a world of danger and new freedom for a diverse group of dispossessed people.
Synopsis
General William Tecumseh Sherman leads sixty thousand Union troops on a destructive march through Georgia and the Carolinas in 1864. The army, a chaotic mix of destruction and liberation, attracts many freed slaves, white refugees, and camp followers, forming a 'floating world' of displaced individuals. Pearl, a young freed slave, finds a new life and catches the eye of Captain Wrede, a Union officer. Wrede also connects with Emily Thompson, a Southern belle who lost everything in the war. Colonel Twill struggles with the morality of the campaign, and two young boys, Arly and Will, try to survive the chaos. As the march continues, facing Confederate attacks, difficult river crossings, and increasing war brutality, people become disillusioned and desert. The novel ends with the march's completion, leaving its characters to face the complex aftermath of their shared, life-changing journey.
Reading time
600 min
Difficulty
Medium
Pacing
Moderate
Mood
Epic, Reflective, Gritty, Disillusioning
✓ Read this if...
You enjoy sweeping historical narratives that delve into the human cost and moral ambiguities of war, with a focus on a large ensemble cast and a vivid sense of time and place.
✗ Skip this if...
You prefer fast-paced, plot-driven stories with a single protagonist, or find detailed historical accounts of war and its aftermath too bleak.
Plot Summary
Sherman's Army Descends on Atlanta's Remains
In November 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman's Union army, after devastating Atlanta, begins its March to the Sea. The story starts with the army's movement, a destructive force that leaves desolation behind. Many individuals are drawn to it: newly freed slaves, white refugees, deserters, and opportunists. Pearl and Mattie, young freedwomen, seek safety and food in the army's camp. Pearl, light-skinned, quickly learns to navigate the social dynamics, while Mattie struggles. The army changes the land and the lives of everyone it meets, starting a journey through the Confederacy.
The Army's Unofficial Entourage Grows
As Sherman's army moves deeper into Georgia, its unofficial following grows. Pearl, with her appearance, attracts attention and forms relationships in the camp, including with Captain Wrede, a surgeon. Mattie, meanwhile, is in a more difficult position, struggling to survive among the crowds. The army's passage is a spectacle of destruction and draws in the dispossessed. Among them are white refugees, including Arly and Will, two young boys from a poor farm family, and Emily Thompson, a refined Southern woman whose plantation has been destroyed. These different individuals, all displaced, form a temporary community at the edge of the military machine, each looking for salvation or opportunity.
Captain Wrede and Emily Thompson's Unlikely Connection
Captain Wrede, a German-born Union surgeon, becomes important to several characters. He is a man of science and order in the chaos, but also has a complex emotional life. He takes an interest in Pearl, giving her some protection and education. At the same time, he meets Emily Thompson, a Southern lady whose life has been shattered by the war. Emily, at first hostile, must rely on Wrede's help and medical skills. Their relationship is full of war and class tensions, yet a strange connection begins as Wrede cares for her and gives her temporary shelter in the army's moving camp. Her presence shows the human cost of the conflict.
Colonel Twill's Philosophical Dilemmas
Colonel Twill, a dedicated but conflicted Union officer, acts as a moral guide in the army. He sees the devastation caused by Sherman's total war policies and struggles with the ethics of burning and pillaging. His thoughts show a man wrestling with war, civilization, and whether widespread destruction is justified to preserve the Union. He questions the blurring lines between military necessity and brutality. Twill's interactions with General Sherman, though brief, show the Union commander's immense power and resolve. His perspective offers a more thoughtful, intellectual contrast to the march's brutal practicality, showing the psychological toll on those carrying it out.
Pearl's Ascent and Captain Wrede's Affection
Pearl, using her intelligence and adaptability, slowly makes a place for herself in the Union camp. Her light skin and quick mind make her interesting to Captain Wrede, who protects her. He teaches her to read and write, offering her a glimpse of a future beyond servitude. Their relationship, while not explicitly romantic, has an underlying affection and mutual reliance. Pearl, in turn, helps Wrede in various ways, observing the world around her. She shows the potential for newly freed individuals to rise from slavery's ashes, even during the war's ongoing destruction.
The Boys: Arly and Will's Survival
Arly and Will, two young white boys from a poor Georgia farm, become orphans and wander after Sherman's army. They follow the moving column, scavenging for food and supplies, and learning the harsh lessons of survival in a war-torn land. Their innocence quickly disappears due to the march's realities. Arly, the older and more practical, often leads, while Will struggles to keep up. They see both cruelty and unexpected kindness, adapting to a life of constant movement and uncertainty. Their story shows the war's impact on civilians, especially children forced to grow up quickly.
The March Turns North: Into the Carolinas
After reaching Savannah and devastating Georgia, Sherman's army moves north into South Carolina. The destruction increases, as Union soldiers see South Carolina as the core of the rebellion. Columbia, the state capital, is burned, a controversial event in the march. The story shows the increased brutality and the continued gathering of refugees and freed slaves. Conditions in the army's wake become more desperate, with widespread hunger, disease, and lawlessness. The campaign's moral ambiguity deepens as the army continues its push, causing suffering that affects every character, foreshadowing the war's bitter end.
Rafting the Catawba River and New Threats
The crossing of the Catawba River in South Carolina creates a challenge for Sherman's army. The river is swollen and dangerous, requiring extensive engineering to build pontoon bridges and rafts. During this chaotic period, the army's followers are vulnerable. Mattie, after many hardships, faces new danger. Arly and Will also struggle to cross, meeting both helpful and dangerous people. During this time, they meet Minnehaha, a young African American girl with a mysterious past, who joins their makeshift family. The river crossing represents a turning point, separating one phase of the march from the next, and introducing new threats and alliances.
Disillusionment and Desertion
As the march continues through the Carolinas, the strain shows on both soldiers and civilians. Colonel Twill sees growing weariness and disillusionment among his men, and desertions become more frequent. The initial enthusiasm and purpose fade, replaced by grim determination or exhaustion. Some individuals, like Mattie, reach their breaking point, struggling with the physical and emotional toll. Constant movement, scarce resources, and unending destruction lower morale. This period shows the psychological impact of prolonged warfare, where the lines between purpose and futility become increasingly unclear for those caught in it.
The End of the March and Its Aftermath
Finally, news of Lee's surrender reaches Sherman's army, marking the war's end. The march concludes, but the characters face an uncertain future. Pearl, with her new literacy and Wrede's guidance, has the chance for a new life. Emily Thompson, still proud and damaged, must accept the South's defeat and her changed circumstances. Arly, Will, and Minnehaha, having survived, face the challenge of finding a stable home in a shattered land. The army disbands, its purpose fulfilled, but the lives it touched are forever changed. The novel ends with the idea that while the war is over, its effects will last for generations, leaving the characters to build new identities in a transformed America.
Principal Figures
General William Tecumseh Sherman
The Antagonist (from Southern perspective) / Supporting (from Union perspective)
Sherman remains largely static, a consistent force of nature embodying relentless military will and strategic vision.
Pearl
The Protagonist
Pearl transforms from a vulnerable, uneducated freed slave into an intelligent, literate young woman with a clear sense of self and potential.
Captain Wrede
The Supporting
Wrede's arc is less about transformation and more about maintaining his moral and intellectual integrity amidst profound chaos.
Emily Thompson
The Supporting
Emily's arc is one of forced humility and gradual, painful acceptance of a new, unrecognizable world.
Colonel Twill
The Supporting
Twill's arc involves a deepening internal struggle with the ethics of war, culminating in a profound weariness and questioning of its ultimate meaning.
Mattie
The Supporting
Mattie's arc is one of enduring immense hardship and struggling for survival, ultimately finding a measure of resilience.
Arly
The Supporting
Arly transforms from a child into a hardened survivor, taking on adult responsibilities out of necessity.
Will
The Supporting
Will's arc is one of enduring trauma and relying on his brother for survival, slowly adapting to a harsh new reality.
Minnehaha
The Supporting
Minnehaha's arc is one of finding a new, albeit transient, family after being dispossessed by the war.
Themes & Insights
The Brutality and Morality of Total War
The novel shows the devastating impact of General Sherman's 'total war' strategy, which targeted civilian infrastructure and resources along with military objectives. Through characters like Colonel Twill, the moral questions of such destruction are explored, asking if preserving the Union justifies widespread suffering, burning, and pillaging. Descriptions of burning towns and desolate countryside show the march's relentless nature, blurring the lines between military necessity and barbarity. It makes readers confront the human cost of strategic violence.
“War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.”
Identity and Transformation
The march forces characters to let go of old identities and create new ones in the face of radical change. Pearl, a freed slave, changes from property to an individual seeking literacy and self-determination. Emily Thompson, a Southern lady, loses her social standing and faces her prejudices. The orphaned boys, Arly and Will, lose their innocence and become hardened survivors. Constant movement and destruction require a fundamental re-evaluation of who they are and what they believe, showing how extreme circumstances can permanently change one's sense of self and purpose.
“A man learns to live by what he can find, and a woman too.”
The Nature of Freedom and Emancipation
The novel explores the complex reality of emancipation for newly freed slaves. While the Union army brings freedom, it also brings chaos, displacement, and new vulnerabilities. Characters like Pearl and Mattie experience the truth that freedom is not an instant solution but a challenging journey of survival, self-discovery, and the fight for basic rights. They must navigate a world that is still prejudiced and dangerous, even without slavery. The novel shows that the end of bondage is only the beginning of a long path toward true liberty and equality, highlighting the immense challenges faced by freedmen and freedwomen.
“They were free, he thought, but free to do what? Free to starve, free to die, free to wander.”
The Fragility of Civilization
Doctorow shows how quickly civilization can break down under war's pressures. The march turns landscapes into ruins and people into desperate survivors, blurring the lines between soldier and marauder, civilian and refugee. The collapse of social order, widespread looting, and casual brutality show how easily societal norms can fall apart when institutions are destroyed and survival becomes most important. This theme is clear in Emily Thompson's experiences, whose refined world is destroyed, and in Colonel Twill's moral struggles, as he sees what he considers barbarism.
“Everything was gone, the way of life, the manners, the sense of who one was.”
Memory and History
The novel focuses on how history is made, experienced, and remembered. It presents many perspectives on the same events, from Sherman's strategic view to the personal, often brutal, experiences of the common soldier, freed slave, or displaced civilian. The narrative often shifts perspectives, creating a mosaic of individual memories that contribute to a larger, complex historical picture. The destruction of physical places and the loss of personal histories show how war not only reshapes the present but also permanently alters the past, leaving future generations to piece together fragmented narratives.
“History was not a story told but a story lived, moment by moment, without a plot.”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
Multiple Perspectives
The narrative shifts between various characters' viewpoints to offer a panoramic view of the march.
The novel employs a shifting, omniscient third-person perspective, moving between the consciousnesses of numerous characters, including General Sherman, Colonel Twill, Captain Wrede, Pearl, Emily Thompson, and even the orphaned boys. This allows Doctorow to present a multifaceted view of the march, capturing the experiences of officers, soldiers, freed slaves, and white civilians from both Union and Confederate sides. This device creates a rich, complex tapestry of human experience, preventing any single viewpoint from dominating and emphasizing the diverse impacts of the war on different individuals, thereby enriching the historical scope of the narrative.
The March Itself as a Character
The relentless movement of Sherman's army serves as a central, driving force and an entity in itself.
The 'march' is not merely a setting but functions as a dynamic, almost living entity that shapes the lives of all characters. It is a constant, destructive force that propels the narrative forward, dictating the movements, interactions, and fates of everyone caught in its path. The relentless progression, the accumulation of people, and the trail of devastation it leaves behind give the march a palpable presence, making it a character in its own right, a 'floating world' that defines the transient existence of its inhabitants. It embodies both the destructive power of war and the unstoppable force of historical change.
Historical Irony
The narrative highlights the tragic and often contradictory outcomes of historical events.
Doctorow frequently uses historical irony to underscore the often-unintended consequences of the war. For instance, the Union army, fighting for freedom, brings immense destruction and suffering to both black and white civilians. The liberation of slaves often leads to immediate hardship and vulnerability rather than instant prosperity. The novel points out the paradoxes of war, where noble intentions can lead to ignoble acts, and where the promise of a better future is built upon a foundation of widespread devastation. This device encourages readers to critically examine historical narratives and the complexities of human events.
Symbolism of Destruction and Rebirth
The burning and rebuilding of the land symbolize the cycle of war and the hope for a new America.
The pervasive imagery of fire, destruction, and desolation throughout the march symbolizes the complete annihilation of the old Southern order. Towns are burned, plantations are razed, and lives are shattered. However, this destruction also carries the symbolic weight of clearing the ground for something new – a rebuilt Union and a newly emancipated populace. The hope for rebirth is embodied in characters like Pearl, who learns to read amidst the ruins, suggesting that from the ashes of the old, a different, perhaps more just, America might emerge, even if the process is painful and prolonged. This dual symbolism encapsulates the war's transformative power.
Critical analysis
Notable Quotes
“The war was not fought by armies, but by men, and men were not armies, but individuals.”
— Reflecting on the personal toll and individual experiences within the large-scale conflict.
“The past was not dead, it was not even past.”
— A character's realization that the history they are living through will continue to impact the future.
“He saw the future as a landscape, and himself as a small figure walking through it, unable to change its contours.”
— A character contemplating their lack of agency amidst the grand sweep of historical events.
“There was no beauty in war, only a terrible, magnificent force.”
— Witnessing the destructive power of Sherman's army, a mix of awe and horror.
“The world was a place of constant becoming, and never arriving.”
— A philosophical reflection on the continuous state of change and the elusive nature of peace or completion.
“They were leaving behind a world that would never be the same, and entering one that was yet to be defined.”
— The army's progress through the South, altering the landscape and social order irrevocably.
“The truth was not a single thing, but a multitude of perspectives, all clashing and contradictory.”
— Highlighting the varied experiences and interpretations of the war from different characters.
“Survival was a kind of madness, a desperate clinging to the smallest shred of hope.”
— Describing the psychological state of those enduring the hardships of the march.
“The sound of the marching feet was the sound of history being made, one step at a time.”
— Emphasizing the tangible, physical act of the army's movement as a force of historical change.
“Every man carried his own war within him, a private battle of conscience and fear.”
— Exploring the internal struggles of individual soldiers and civilians.
“The land itself seemed to remember, to hold the scars of what had passed.”
— Observing the lasting impact of the war on the physical landscape and environment.
“Freedom, like a wild bird, was hard to catch and harder still to tame.”
— Reflecting on the complex and often elusive nature of freedom for newly emancipated slaves.
“There was no end to it, only a series of beginnings, each one more uncertain than the last.”
— A character's weary realization about the ongoing nature of conflict and change, even after the war's end.
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Key Questions (FAQ)
"The March" by E.L. Doctorow chronicles General William Tecumseh Sherman's destructive yet pivotal March to the Sea and through the Carolinas during the American Civil War in 1864-1865. It follows a diverse cast of characters, including soldiers, freed slaves, white refugees, and Southern civilians, whose lives are irrevocably altered by the army's advance, portraying the chaos, suffering, and unexpected humanity amidst a nation at war.
About the author
E.L. Doctorow was a celebrated American novelist known for his sweeping historical fiction that explored American identity and myth. His acclaimed works include "Ragtime," "The Book of Daniel," and "The March." Doctorow's writing often blended historical accuracy with fictional narratives, earning him numerous awards and critical recognition throughout his career.
