John Bell Hood and A Civil War Controversy (1 Viewer)

Al,

The book has generated a lot of discussion and Ted Savas over at Civil War Memory said -- I think -- that over 2/3ds of the printing has been sold.

Wiley is the bête noire in this affair.

Brad
 
Hi Brad,

Do you happen to know if the author, Stephen Hood, is a descendant of John Bell Hood? If so, there could be some family interests influencing his conclusions. In any case, it should be a very interesting book to read. I appreciate you bringing it to our attention.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat
 
Pat,

Yes, he is. One of Hood's other descendants came across previously undiscovered papers and lent them to the author as Stephen Hood was interested in refuting some of the things that had been written about his famous ancestor. I will post some links in the morning that contain more information. A small debate has also erupted over the way Savas Beaty, the publisher, has marketed the book.

Brad
 
The book can be interesting, but no controversy about him as a general.....

History has already judged him as an inept and unsuitable general. I think his nomination as a commander of the western confederation army at the time of Atlanta siege replacing the very capable General Johnston is the biggest of President Davies ' military mistakes...
 
Poppo,

I think that's what his descendant is trying to refute.

Brad
 
Eric Wittenberg, who operates the Rantings of a Civil War Historian blog and is a highly respected name, especially among cavalry enthusiasts, interviewed Stephen Hood last year. Mr. Hood, who at the time he first heard of the new papers, was writing a book about General Hood to refute some of the General's detractors as he felt they had cherry picked the record. One of these detractors is Wiley Sword who, as far as I can tell, is held in contempt by Hood defenders. Mr. Sword has written a book called The Confederacy's Last Hurrah: Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville.

The new papers only helped, in Mr. Hood's opinion, to dispel these charges. Here is the interview, http://civilwarcavalry.com/?p=3442
 
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jazzeum said:
Poppo,

I think that's what his descendant is trying to refute.

Brad
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Interesting for sure to read that book.....But about descendants, you know....Even Himmler' s daughter wrote a book to rehabilitate her father...Very hard task indeed{sm4}
 
Thanks for posting these links, Brad. Besides Gettysburg, the Battle of Franklin is my favorite ACW subject, and Hood my favorite ACW character. I welcome any work that will shed new light/understanding on Hood's decisions and actions. As to the books that Stephen Hood holds responsible for the current state of JB Hood's reputation, he is quite right. Not a kind word for JB Hood to be found, without much real analysis as to motives. -- Al
 
Redemption at last for my avatar ^&grin

I am a third of the way through this book and beware its certainly not for the ACW novice as Stephen Hood assumes that his reader is well versed in what I always call the forgotten "western theatre of war". Nevertheless so far it is a very interesting read.

Al agree with your last comment about previous authors who have tackled Hood in the West...not a kind word for him anywhere and especially in Sword's The Confederacy's Last Hurrah I found that tome to be an annoyingly repetitive read on how bad Hood was. In fact the only book I have read that does sympathise-a lot with JBH- is Mary Chesnut's Diary and then she wasn't military- albeit a very fine writer and diarist

Bob
 
Yeah something about the western theater. I have started visiting around the middle Tennessee battlefield lately and need to read up on the subject. Thanks Brad for the info.
 
UKReb said:
Redemption at last for my avatar ^&grin

I am a third of the way through this book and beware its certainly not for the ACW novice as Stephen Hood assumes that his reader is well versed in what I always call the forgotten "western theatre of war". Nevertheless so far it is a very interesting read.

Al agree with your last comment about previous authors who have tackled Hood in the West...not a kind word for him anywhere and especially in Sword's The Confederacy's Last Hurrah I found that tome to be an annoyingly repetitive read on how bad Hood was. In fact the only book I have read that does sympathise-a lot with JBH- is Mary Chesnut's Diary and then she wasn't military- albeit a very fine writer and diarist

Bob
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Bob, have you read the book called "For Cause and For Country: A Study of the Affair at Spring Hill and the Battle of Franklin" by Eric Jacobson and Richard Rupp? It is a 2006 publication and I found it far more useful and interesting than either Sword's book or "Five Tragic Hours" by McDonough/Connelly. Jacobson and Rupp take a much more even handed view of the proceedings and don't have the usual axe to grind against Hood. They even take the time to delve into Hood's actual motives for the attack at Franklin, rather than just repeating the old 'he was angry at his officers/troops for the failure at Spring Hill' line that is so popular with other writers. They reveal that Hood's motive was actually a well reasoned military objective, that Hood thought it would be his last chance at catching Schofield before Schofield could join forces with Thomas. The attack wasn't made out of anger about Spring Hill or the urge to make his men attack breastworks. All in all, Jacobson and Rupp have done a fine job with Hood and Franklin. -- Al
 
Glad to help all. I'd agree that unless you're familiar with Franklin and certain of the works, which I'm not, this is probably not for the novice.
 
Unfortunately those battle fields were not preserved, very little to see, most of it is in Urban sprawl. This makes it very hard to understand what happened or why.
 
Shiloh said:
Unfortunately those battle fields were not preserved, very little to see, most of it is in Urban sprawl. This makes it very hard to understand what happened or why.
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Very true, and a very sad loss for history. I believe that on the field at Franklin, where some of the fiercest fighting occurred, and where Cleburne fell, there is a Pizza Hut and it's parking lot.{sm2} -- Al
 
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