American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

John Bell Hood should have been hung by the neck until death after the battle of Franklin.Bitter from losing a arm at Gettysburg and a leg at Chickamauga.In a drug induced haze under the influence of Luadium(opium) he sacrificed the finest blood of the south in a vindictive frontal assault against a entrenched Union army.Five Confederate Generals fell that day including Patrick Cleburne.Hood did well under Divisional Command but that was his limit!

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Lt. General Tony Beyersdorf
3rd Division,Hardee's Corps(1st)
Army of the Tennesee,CSA

I'm sure many will agree with you but there are his defenders including a webpage devoted to his memory. A lengthy defense of J.B.Hood can be found here: http://johnbellhood.org/indefense.htm.

Sung to the tune of "The Yellow rose of Texas":

So now I'm marching southward;
My heart is full of woe.
I'm going back to Georgia
To see my Uncle Joe.
You may talk about your Beauregard
And sing of General Lee,
But the gallant Hood of Texas
Played Hell in Tennessee.

More is found at: http://johnbellhood.org/menu.htm

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Gen. Drex Ringbloom,
AotS ,Commanding

Davis should have been hung for appointing Hood at Atlanta. I agree with your assessment of his limitations.

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Brigadier General Robert Webb
> 3nd Brigade, Edward C. Walthall Division (2nd)
> II Corps, Army of the West
> "Gator Alley"

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler !!!

He was definately limited in his capabilities. His mind was stuck in 1861 - 1862 mode. By 1864 the idea of frontal attacks against entrenched veterans was akin to suicide.

In my earlier post, I mentioned a website that honors Hood. In that website is a good article that refutes conjecture that Hood took pain-killing drugs. Even Douglas Freeman comments that Hood should never been appointed command of an Army but that is no reason to disparage a courageous man who lost the use of an arm and lost a leg and STILL served as a soldier. Yes, Davis must be the culprit here but who else could he have used? Lee, Bragg and the Cabinet supported Hood's elevation to full General and the command of the AoT. In the end, Hood gambled at Franklin and lost but had he won, Nashville was his.

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Gen. Drex Ringbloom,
AotS ,Commanding

Hood did win at Franklin! Remember what he wrote Davis...

"We attacked the enemy at Franklin and drove them from their center lines of temporary works into their inner lines, which they evacuated during the night, leaving their dead and wounded in our procession, and retired to Nashville, closely pursued by our cavalry. We captured several stand of colors and about 1,000 prisoners.”

Convenient how he failed to mention his own losses or the fact that some of his best generals lay dead or wounded.

Had Schofield NOT retreated the war in the west would have ended the next day. Hood ordered another frontal attack for the next morning by the entire Army. He would tip his hand, of course, by firing all his cannon for two hours before the frontal attack. The Confederate Army, already disgruntled, and the officer corps, destroyed and ready to mutiny, may well have refused to attack and simply abandoned Hood. It would have been an interesting showdown for sure.

You'd think Hood would have learned at Fredericksburg, Gettysburg and, well, the day before, but apparently not.

Technically he won but it was a pyrhic victory. He really lost his army.

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Gen. Drex Ringbloom,
AotS ,Commanding

I read the article"in defense of John Bell Hood"It makes many a good point.Perhaps I have been too harsh in his criticism!

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Lt. General Tony Beyersdorf
3rd Division,Hardee's Corps(1st)
Army of the Tennesee,CSA