Why were plantations burned down in the civil war?

During the Civil War, plantations were often burned down as part of strategic military campaigns to disrupt the Confederate economy and undermine its ability to sustain the war effort. This tactic, employed by Union forces, aimed to destroy resources that supported the Confederacy, including crops and supplies. Additionally, burning plantations served to free enslaved individuals, as many escaped to Union lines in search of freedom. The destruction of these properties was a significant aspect of the broader strategy of total war employed by Union generals like William Tecumseh Sherman.