The famous general known for his march to the sea during the American Civil War was William Tecumseh Sherman. His military campaign, characterized by a strategy of "total war," aimed to weaken the Confederacy's capacity to fight by destroying infrastructure and supplies. Sherman's march from Atlanta to Savannah in late 1864 was particularly significant as it employed tactics that devastated Southern morale and economy. This campaign was crucial in hastening the end of the Civil War and has since become a pivotal moment in American military history.