Reframing Sherman’s March with Dr. Ben Parten

Ben Parten, Ph.D., an assistant professor of history at Georgia Southern University, is challenging long-held narratives of Sherman’s March in his groundbreaking book, Somewhere Toward Freedom. The Royston, Georgia native’s work reimagines the infamous Civil War campaign not as an act of destruction but as a pivotal moment of emancipation.

Parten credits his inspiration to E.L. Doctorow’s novel The March. “One of Doctorow’s characters was a freed woman named Wilma Jones who drops everything, runs to Sherman’s army, and follows it to Savannah,” he said. “I began wondering how we could write the story of freed people like her as a work of history and not just historical fiction.”

By centering the experiences of enslaved people, Parten’s research reframes the traditional military focus of Sherman’s March. “I tried to privilege their voices and experiences,” he explained. “Of course, you can’t lose sight of the army completely, but my goal from the beginning was to center their voices and actions.”

Somewhere Toward Freedom has already received critical acclaim, including recognition from The New York Times as a “book to watch” and a feature in Washington Monthly. Esteemed historian David Blight described it as “an epic tale.” Parten admits the positive reception has been both gratifying and nerve-wracking. “You work very hard on something for a long time, never really knowing how it will be received,” he said. “It’s just really nice to see it resonate with readers.”

Parten’s reinterpretation reveals the march as a “true freedom movement” and a transformative moment in American history. “I hope readers will see this as a touchstone moment in the making of American freedom,” he said. “An episode analogous to Philadelphia in 1776, Gettysburg, or Selma, Alabama.”

Researching such a vast and complex topic posed challenges. Parten was struck by the sheer scale of the refugee movement that followed Sherman’s army, noting it nearly matched Savannah’s 1860 population. “The very fact that the refugees followed the army as they did had an enormous impact on the early history of Reconstruction,” he said.

Balancing the tensions of Union forces’ reluctance to embrace newly freed people required authenticity. “History is messy,” Parten explained. “Good history writing should embrace all the nuances and the depth of the human experience.”

Parten’s work extends beyond Somewhere Toward Freedom. He has signed with Simon & Schuster to write a biography of William T. Sherman, further exploring the complexities of this controversial figure. “I hope this book helps shape the public perception of Sherman’s March in a way that counters some of the narratives found in movies like Gone with the Wind,” he said. “There is room to offer the wider public a more useful historical interpretation for the 21st century.”

With his innovative perspective and dedication to uncovering untold stories, Parten is reshaping how we understand one of the Civil War’s most iconic events –not just as a campaign of destruction, but as a powerful chapter in the fight for freedom.