Total war was General Sherman's strategy. He was to use total war to destroy the resources of the south. I am also a civil war expert so you can trust my answer.
It really doesn't. 1812 was the result of continuing problems with Britain... that had actualy already been dealt with before the war began or never happened in the first place. The Civil War was the...
"Shell" is a term for a projectile fired from a cannon. Webster defines it as a hollow projectile that exploded.
The verb usage meant to bombard an enemy with artillery.