General Sherman was a union general during the American civil war. His approach to warfare was to a bit unconventional for the time - he focused on destroying the enemy’s infrastructure and supply lines and burned down nearly everything flammable he came across. It was very effective.
Because of muh freedom in the south, there were no regulations on railways. This resulted in rails that were sometimes so thin a strong man could lay a knot in them with their bare hands. Luckily the north won the war so railways in the US function perfectly now :)