Before one is too hard in condemning Sherman, I think a study of the general oppression and exploitation of Southerners by the Confederate authorities can add a little perspective. It’s no wonder that many southern locales welcomed the advancing Union army as liberators.
I would like to recommend a book written by Tony Horwitz, “Confederates in the Attic.” It is both humorous and sobering. He explains why the Confederate flag is hated these days and how that got started. And, believe it or not, Sherman was not the hated man as some portray him now! It is a very interesting book. I wish everyone could read it. I got mine at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, VA in March of this year.