Jack C Wray

Who Really Saved Savannah?: the Surprising Paradox Jack C Wray

Publisher Marketing: Savannah is one of the ten most sought travel destinations here and abroad. Her Southern charm, her well-preserved nineteenth-century architecture, her beautiful squares and brilliant city plan, her mystique, her attraction for Hollywood filming sites, and her casual-yes, slow-pace brings millions of tourists to visit every year. In 2013, thirteen million tourists spent over $2 billion in Savannah. Tourism grows in leaps every year. One of the closest calls to total disaster happened in December of 1864 with the arrival of sixty-two thousand Union troops and Gen. Wm T. Sherman, "Uncle Billy" as his boys called him. This fifty-three-day heart-pounding, nail-biting, hair-raising horror story of her onion-skin-thin bare survival centers on the central question: who saved Savannah, really? As a resident of Savannah, Georgia, I have spent many years in the tour business with a special emphasis on how Savannah was spared burning by the Union Army under Gen. Wm. T. Sherman. I have relationships with historians here in Savannah with whom I have studied who are knowledgeable about Savannah's history far beyond what textbooks offer. I also am aware of the mythical folklore passed on as accurate history by our education system and shaped by Hollywood that is in contrast to the truth. My passion as a tour guide is to speak truthfully about our history with raw data and facts. I have lived in Savannah for thirty-five years and have come to love her history, both colonial and civil war. It is a joy to introduce the beautiful lady to tourists and visitors to Savannah. Her history is so enjoyable to tell, both the joys and the sorrows.