Yes, I can. War is about making the other side submit to your will. Sherman chose to do it in the most emphatic method possible.
Aff, and, of course, Sherman understood that war can only continue as long as the population is willing to support the war.
Thus, his actions, brutal as they were, were justified at the time. They are similar to tactics used in Germany in WW2 with
where we would bomb(see: Dresden). The only difference, really, between a War Crime and a Viable Military Tactic is:
Which side won?