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John Bell Hood

 
John Bell Hood

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John Bell Hood



 
 
John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate
Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was a military organization whose primary mission was to provide the necessary forces and capabilities to support the National Security and defense of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865....
 general during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness. Arguably one of the best brigade
Brigade

A brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army....
 and division
Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
 commanders in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was a military organization whose primary mission was to provide the necessary forces and capabilities to support the National Security and defense of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865....
, Hood became increasingly ineffective as he was promoted to lead larger, independent commands late in the war, and his career was marred by his decisive defeats leading an army in the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign

The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta, Georgia, during the summer of 1864, leading to the eventual fall of Atlanta and hastening the end of the American Civil War....
 and the Franklin-Nashville Campaign
Franklin-Nashville Campaign

The Franklin-Nashville Campaign, also known as Hood's Tennessee Campaign, was a series of battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War , fought in the fall of 1864 in Alabama, Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia during the American Civil War....
.

was born in Owingsville, Kentucky
Owingsville, Kentucky

Owingsville is a city in Bath County, Kentucky, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,488 at the 2000 United States Census. It is the county seat of Bath County, Kentucky, and located roughly in the center of the county, at the junction of U.S....
, the son of John W.






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John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate
Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was a military organization whose primary mission was to provide the necessary forces and capabilities to support the National Security and defense of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865....
 general during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness. Arguably one of the best brigade
Brigade

A brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army....
 and division
Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
 commanders in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was a military organization whose primary mission was to provide the necessary forces and capabilities to support the National Security and defense of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865....
, Hood became increasingly ineffective as he was promoted to lead larger, independent commands late in the war, and his career was marred by his decisive defeats leading an army in the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign

The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta, Georgia, during the summer of 1864, leading to the eventual fall of Atlanta and hastening the end of the American Civil War....
 and the Franklin-Nashville Campaign
Franklin-Nashville Campaign

The Franklin-Nashville Campaign, also known as Hood's Tennessee Campaign, was a series of battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War , fought in the fall of 1864 in Alabama, Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia during the American Civil War....
.

Early life

Hood was born in Owingsville, Kentucky
Owingsville, Kentucky

Owingsville is a city in Bath County, Kentucky, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,488 at the 2000 United States Census. It is the county seat of Bath County, Kentucky, and located roughly in the center of the county, at the junction of U.S....
, the son of John W. Hood, a doctor, and Theodosia French Hood. He was the cousin of future Confederate general G. W. Smith
Gustavus Woodson Smith

Gustavus Woodson Smith , more commonly known as G.W. Smith, was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Mexican-American War, a civil engineer, and a Major General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
 and the nephew of U.S. Representative Richard French. French obtained an appointment for Hood at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational United States Service academies located at West Point, New York, New York....
, despite his father's reluctance to support a military career for his son. Hood graduated in 1853, ranked 44th in a class of 52 that originally numbered 96, after a near-expulsion in his final year for excessive demerits. Notwithstanding his modest record at West Point, in 1860 he was appointed chief instructor of cavalry at West Point, a position that he declined, citing his desire to remain with his active field regiment and to retain all of his options in light of the impending war. At West Point and in later Army years, he was known to friends as "Sam". His classmates included James B. McPherson
James B. McPherson

James Birdseye McPherson was a career United States Army officer who served as a General officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War....
 and John M. Schofield; he received instruction in artillery from George H. Thomas. These three men became Union Army
Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
 generals who opposed Hood in battle.

Hood was commissioned a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant

Second Lieutenant is the lowest Officer military rank in many armed forces.In British English the rank is pronounced second /l?f't?n?nt/ , while in American English it is pronounced second /lu't?n?nt/ ....
 in the 4th U.S. Infantry
U.S. 4th Infantry Regiment

The U.S. 4th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. It has served in the defense of the United States for approximately two hundred years....
, served in California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, and later transferred to the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
, where he was commanded by Col.
Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, Colonel is a senior field officer United States Military Officer military rank just above the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and just below the rank of Brigadier General ....
 Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston

Albert Sidney Johnston was a career United States Army officer, a Republic of Texas General officer, and a Confederate States Army General . He saw extensive combat during his military career, fighting actions in the Texas War of Independence, the Mexican-American War, the Utah War, as well as the American Civil War....
 and Lt. Col.
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, lieutenant colonel is a field officer United States Military Officer military rank just above the rank of Major and just below the rank of Colonel ....
 Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
. While commanding a reconnaissance patrol from Fort Mason, Hood sustained one of the many wounds that marked his lifetime in military service&mdash, an arrow through his left hand during action against the Comanche
Comanche

The Comanche are a Native Americans in the United States ethnic group whose range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas....
s at Devil's River, Texas.

Civil War


Brigade and division command

Hood resigned from the United States Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
 immediately after Fort Sumter
Battle of Fort Sumter

The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina, that started the American Civil War....
 and, dissatisfied with the neutrality of his native Kentucky, decided to serve his adopted state of Texas. He joined the Confederate army as a cavalry captain, but by September 30, 1861, was promoted to be colonel
Colonel

Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures....
 in command of the 4th Texas Infantry.

Hood became the brigade commander of the unit that was henceforth known as Hood's Texas Brigade on February 20, 1862, part of the Confederate Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac (Confederate)

The Confederate States Army Army of the Potomac, whose name was short-lived, was the command under Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard in the early days of the American Civil War....
, and was promoted to brigadier general on March 3, 1862. Leading the Texas brigade as part of the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia

The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
 in the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign

The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
, he established his reputation as an aggressive commander, eager to lead his troops personally into battle. At the Battle of Gaines' Mill
Battle of Gaines' Mill

The Battle of Gaines' Mill, also known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War....
 on June 27, he distinguished himself by leading his brigade in a charge that broke the Union line, which was the most successful Confederate performance in the Seven Days Battles
Seven Days Battles

The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War....
. While Hood escaped the battle without an injury, every officer in his brigade was killed or wounded.

Because of his success on the Peninsula, Hood was given command of a division in Maj. Gen. James Longstreet
James Longstreet

James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate States Army General officers of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E....
's First Corps
First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia

The First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia was a military unit fighting for the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. It was formed in early 1861 and served until the spring of 1865, mostly in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
 of the Army of Northern Virginia. He led the division in the Northern Virginia Campaign
Northern Virginia Campaign

}|-||}The Northern Virginia Campaign, also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or Second Manassas Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during August and September 1862 in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
 and added to his reputation as the premier leader of shock troops during Longstreet's massive assault on John Pope
John Pope (military officer)

John Pope was a career United States Army officer and Union Army general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
's left flank at the Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run

The Second Battle of Bull Run, or, as it was called by the Confederate States of America, the Battle of Second Manassas, was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War....
, which nearly destroyed the Union army. In the pursuit of Union forces, Hood was involved in a dispute over captured ambulances with a superior officer. Longstreet had Hood arrested and ordered him to leave the army, but Gen. Lee
Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
 intervened and retained him in service. During the Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign

The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign, of September 1862 is widely considered one of the major Turning Point of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
, just before the Battle of South Mountain
Battle of South Mountain

The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's Gap, Turner's Gap, and Fox's Gaps....
, Hood was in the rear, still in virtual arrest. His Texas troops shouted to General Lee, "Give us Hood!" Lee restored Hood to command, despite Hood's refusal to apologize for his conduct.

During the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern United States soil....
, Hood's division came to the relief of Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson was a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and probably the most well-known Confederate commander after General Robert E....
's corps on the Confederate left flank. Jackson was impressed with Hood's performance and recommended his promotion to major general, which occurred on October 10, 1862.

In the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, from December 11 to December 15, 1862, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major general Ambrose E....
 in December, Hood's division saw little action. And in the spring of 1863, he missed the great victory of the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought near the village of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, from April 30 to May 6, 1863....
 because most of Longstreet's First Corps was on detached duty in Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia

Suffolk is an independent city located in the South Hampton Roads area of eastern Virginia. Geographically, it is the largest of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, and the largest independent city in land-area in the entire Commonwealth....
.

Gettysburg

At the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's Turning point of the American Civil War....
, Longstreet's Corps arrived late on the first day, July 1, 1863. General Lee planned an assault for the second day that would feature Longstreet's Corps attacking northeast up the Emmitsburg Road into the Union left flank. Hood was dissatisfied with his assignment in the assault because it would face difficult terrain in the boulder-strewn area known as the Devil's Den
Devil's Den

Devil's Den is the nickname for a terrain feature south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that was the site of fierce fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War....
. He requested permission from Longstreet to move around the left flank of the Union army, beyond the mountain known as [Big] Round Top
Big Round Top

Big Round Top is the dominating terrain feature on the southern part of the Gettysburg Battlefield in Adams County, Pennsylvania. It is adjacent to a smaller hill, Little Round Top, the scene of furious combat during the Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg....
, to strike the Union in their rear area. Longstreet refused permission, citing Lee's orders, despite repeated protests from Hood. Yielding to the inevitable, Hood's division stepped off around 4 p.m. on July 2, but a variety of factors caused it to veer to the east, away from its intended direction, where it would eventually meet with Union forces at Little Round Top
Little Round Top

Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate States Army troops against the Union Army left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg....
. Just as the attack started, however, Hood was the victim of an artillery shell exploding overhead, severely damaging his left arm, which incapacitated him. (Although the arm was not amputated, he was unable to make use of it for the rest of his life.) His ranking brigade commander, Brig. Gen. Evander M. Law
Evander M. Law

Evander McIvor Law was an author, teacher, and a Confederate States Army general in the American Civil War....
, assumed command of the division, but confusion as to orders and command status dissipated the direction and strength of the Confederate attack, significantly affecting the outcome of the battle.

Hood recuperated in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city and not part of any county....
, where he made a social impression on the ladies of the Confederacy. In August 1863, famous diarist Mary Chesnut wrote of Hood:

Chickamauga

Meanwhile, in the Western Theater
Western Theater of the American Civil War

This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War....
, the Confederate army under General Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg

Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a General officer in the Confederate States Army, a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
 was faring poorly. Lee dispatched Longstreet's Corps to Tennessee, and Hood was able to rejoin his men on September 18. At the Battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga

The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union Army offensive in south-central Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign....
, Hood led Longstreet's assault that exploited a gap in the Federal line, which led to the defeat of Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans
William Rosecrans

William Starke Rosecrans was an inventor, coal-oil company executive, diplomat, politician, and United States Army officer. He gained fame for his role as a Union Army general during the American Civil War....
's Union Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Cumberland

The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater of the American Civil War during the American Civil War....
. However, Hood was once again wounded severely, and his right leg was amputated four inches below the hip. Hood's condition was so grave that the surgeon sent the severed leg along with him in the ambulance, assuming that they would be buried together. Because of Hood's bravery at Chickamauga, Longstreet recommended that he be promoted to lieutenant general as of that date, September 20, 1863.

During Hood's second recuperation in Richmond that fall, he befriended Confederate President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Finis Davis was an United States politician who served as President of the Confederate States of America for its entire history, 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War....
, who would subsequently promote him to a more important role.

Commander, Army of Tennessee

In the spring of 1864, the Confederate Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee

The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate States Army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War....
, under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston

Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career United States Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
, was engaged in a campaign of maneuver against William T. Sherman, who was driving from Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, "the Scenic City", is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, in the United States....
 toward Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the Capital and most populous city in Georgia , as well as the 33rd largest city in the United States of America with a population of 519,145....
. During the campaign, Hood sent the government in Richmond letters very critical of Johnston's conduct (actions that were considered highly improper for a man in his position). On July 17, 1864, just before the Battle of Peachtree Creek
Battle of Peachtree Creek

The Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought in Georgia on July 20 1864, as part of the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. It was the first major attack by Major General#United States William T....
, Jefferson Davis, who remembered all too well Johnston's preference for a strategy of withdrawals instead of offensives (such as during the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign

The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
 of 1862) and lack of communication (after First Bull Run), lost patience with Johnston and relieved him. Hood, commanding a corps under Johnston, was promoted to the temporary rank of full general on July 18, and given command of the army just outside the gates of Atlanta. (Hood's temporary appointment as a full general was never confirmed by the Senate
Congress of the Confederate States

The Congress of the Confederate States was the legislative body of the Confederate States of America, existing during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865....
. His commission as a lieutenant general resumed on January 23, 1865.) At 33, Hood was the youngest man on either side to be given command of an army. Robert E. Lee gave an ambiguous reply to Jefferson Davis's request for his opinion about the promotion, calling Hood "a bold fighter, very industrious on the battlefield, careless off," but he could not say whether Hood possessed all of the qualities necessary to command an army in the field.

Hood conducted the remainder of the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign

The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta, Georgia, during the summer of 1864, leading to the eventual fall of Atlanta and hastening the end of the American Civil War....
 with the strong aggressive actions for which he was famous. He launched four major offensives that summer in an attempt to break Sherman's siege of Atlanta, starting almost immediately with an attack along Peachtree Creek. All of the offensives failed, with significant Confederate casualties. Finally, on September 2, 1864, Hood evacuated the city of Atlanta, burning as many military supplies and installations as possible.

As Sherman regrouped in Atlanta, preparing for his March to the Sea, Hood and Jefferson Davis attempted to devise a strategy to defeat him. Their plan was to attack Sherman's lines of communications between Chattanooga and Atlanta, and to move north through Alabama
Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
 and into central Tennessee, assuming that Sherman would be threatened and follow. Hood's ambitious hope was that he could maneuver Sherman into a decisive battle, defeat him, recruit additional forces in Tennessee and Kentucky
Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
, and pass through the Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap

Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland water gap. Famous in American history for its role as the chief passageway through the central Appalachians, it was an important part of the Wilderness Road....
 to come to the aid of Robert E. Lee, who was besieged at Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg

The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War....
. Sherman did not cooperate, however. Instead of pursuing Hood with his army, he sent Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas to take control of the Union forces in Tennessee and coordinate the defense against Hood, while the bulk of Sherman's forces prepared to march toward Savannah
Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Chatham County, Georgia, Georgia , United States. Savannah was established in 1733 and was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia....
.

Hood's Tennessee Campaign
Franklin-Nashville Campaign

The Franklin-Nashville Campaign, also known as Hood's Tennessee Campaign, was a series of battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War , fought in the fall of 1864 in Alabama, Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia during the American Civil War....
 lasted from September to December 1864, comprising seven battles and hundreds of miles of marching. He attempted to trap a large part of the Union Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio

The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union Army armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863....
 under Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield at Spring Hill, Tennessee
Battle of Spring Hill

The Battle of Spring Hill was fought November 29, 1864, in Maury County, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War....
, before it could link up with Thomas in Nashville, but command failures and misunderstandings allowed Schofield's men to safely pass by Hood's army in the night. The next day at the Battle of Franklin
Battle of Franklin

The Battle of Franklin may refer to two different battles:* First Battle of Franklin, April 10, 1863. A battle of the American Civil War. Also known as the Battle of the Harpeth River....
, Hood rashly sent his men across nearly two miles of open ground without the support of artillery. His troops were unsuccessful in their attempt to breach the Union breastworks, suffering severe casualties in an assault that is sometimes called the "Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge

Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee against Major general George G. Meade's Union Army positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War....
 of the West". Historian Wiley Sword wrote that there is "evidence Hood expressed his displeasure over yesterday's fiasco [at Spring Hill] and may have suggested to ... his officers that he was concerned about their willingness to manfully fight on an open battlefield. ... If not outright punishment for their behavior on November 29th, the assault at Franklin would be a severe corrective lesson in what he would demand in aggressive behavior." Those officers that he deemed most responsible for the oversights at Spring Hill were assigned prominent roles in the frontal assault against the enemy fortifications. Hood's exhausted army was unable to interfere as the Union force withdrew into Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
.

Unwilling to abandon his original plan, Hood stumbled toward the heavily fortified capital of Tennessee, and laid siege with inferior forces, which endured the beginning of a severe winter. Two weeks later, George Thomas completely defeated Hood at the Battle of Nashville
Battle of Nashville

The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
, in which most of the Army of Tennessee was effectively dispersed, the remnants retreating into Mississippi.

Near the end of the war, Jefferson Davis ordered Hood to travel to Texas to raise another army. Before he could arrive, however, General Edmund Kirby Smith
Edmund Kirby Smith

Edmund Kirby Smith was a career United States Army officer, an educator, and a Full General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, notable for his command of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederacy after the fall of Battle of Vicksburg....
 surrendered his Texas forces, and Hood surrendered himself in Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez, Mississippi

Natchez is the county seat of and the largest and only incorporated city within Adams County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,464....
, where he was paroled on May 31, 1865.

Postbellum career

After the war, Hood moved to Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
 and became a cotton
Cotton

Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
 broker and worked as a President of the Life Association of America, an insurance
Insurance

Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to Hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed small loss to prevent a large, possibly devastating los...
 business. In 1868, he married New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans metropolitan area metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state....
 native Anna Marie Hennen, with whom he would father eleven children over ten years, including three pairs of twins. He also served the community in numerous philanthropic endeavors, as he assisted in fund raising for orphans, widows, and wounded soldiers. His insurance business was ruined by a yellow fever
Yellow fever

Yellow fever is an acute Virus disease. It is an important cause of hemorrhage illness in many African and South American countries despite existence of an effective vaccine....
 epidemic in New Orleans during the winter of 1878 – 79 and he succumbed to the disease himself, dying just days after his wife and oldest child, leaving ten destitute orphans, who were adopted by families in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, and New York.

In memoriam

John Bell Hood is buried in the Hennen family tomb at Metairie Cemetery
Metairie Cemetery

Metairie Cemetery is a cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The name has caused some people to mistakenly presume that the cemetery is located in Metairie, Louisiana, but it is located within the New Orleans city limits, on Metairie Road ....
, New Orleans. He is memorialized by Hood County, Texas
Hood County, Texas

Hood County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, the population was 41,100. Its county seat is Granbury, Texas. Hood County is named for John Bell Hood, a Confederate States of America lieutenant general and the commander of Hood's Texas Brigade....
, and the U.S. Army installation, Fort Hood, Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
.

Stephen Vincent Benét
Stephen Vincent Benét

Stephen Vincent Ben?t was an American author, poet, short story writer, and novelist. Ben?t is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body , for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929, and for two short stories, The Devil and Daniel Webster and By the Waters of Babylon....
's poem included a poignant passage about Hood:

Yellow-haired Hood with his wounds and his empty sleeve,
Leading his Texans, a Viking shape of a man,
With the thrust and lack of craft of a berserk sword,
All lion, none of the fox.
             When he supersedes
Joe Johnston, he is lost, and his army with him,
But he could lead forlorn hopes with the ghost of Ney.
His bigboned Texans follow him into the mist.
Who follows them?


After the defeats in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign, Hood's troops sang with wry humor a verse about him as part of the song The Yellow Rose of Texas
The Yellow Rose of Texas

"The Yellow Rose of Texas" is a traditional folk music which has long been popular in the United States and is considered an unofficial state song of Texas....
:

My feet are torn and bloody,
My heart is full of woe,
I'm going back to Georgia
To find my uncle Joe.
You may talk about your Beauregard,
You may sing of Bobby Lee,
But the gallant Hood of Texas
He played hell in Tennessee.


In popular culture

In the movies Gods and Generals
Gods and Generals (film)

Gods and Generals is a 2003 film based on the novel, Gods and Generals, by Jeffrey Shaara. It is considered a prequel to the 1993 film Gettysburg , which was based on The Killer Angels, a novel by Michael Shaara, Jeff Shaara's father....
 and Gettysburg
Gettysburg (film)

Gettysburg is a 1993 film that dramatizes the decisive Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. It was directed by Ronald F. Maxwell, who also wrote the screenplay, a close adaptation of Michael Shaara's 1974 novel The Killer Angels, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1975....
, Hood was portrayed by actor Patrick Gorman, a man considerably older looking than Hood, who was only 32 years old at the time.

Actor Levon Helm
Levon Helm

Mark Lavon Helm , better known as Levon Helm, is an United States rock and roll musician and actor most famous as the drummer for the rock group The Band....
 portrays an older Hood in the 2008 movie In the Electric Mist
In the Electric Mist

In the Electric Mist is an upcoming drama/fantasy film based on the novel In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke....
.

The basic premise of the 1988 alternate history novel Grey Victory by Robert Skimin
Robert Skimin

Robert Skirmin is a retired U.S. Army officer, artist, and Pulitzer Prize-nominated and award-winning author of both fiction and historical books....
 is that Hood's decision to leave the defenses of Atlanta and make a disastrous attack upon the Union forces had cost the South its last chance to win the war. In Skimin's opinion, had the "plodding" Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston

Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career United States Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
 remained in command, kept his soldiers inside the fortifications and fought a long-drawn out siege war of attrition until the time of the Northern elections in November 1864, the war-weary Northern voters would have replaced Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery....
 with George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan

George Brinton McClellan was a Major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army....
 as President, ending the war by recognizing the South.

See also


External links

  • from the published 1880, hosted by the
  • a Primary Source Adventure, a lesson plan hosted by