Hood's Tennessee Campaign

[richard]

It may seem that he was a slug but on the other hand, timing was a major factor as well as the weather. So, in other words, it was both. The concept may have been good, the plan could have been good but no one could control the weather. Hood had an army, the army was game, what to do with it is another story. He had to do something. As some have said before, it almost worked. A few days earlier and with good luck, he might have been in Nashville.

His options were of what to do were very limited to say the least.

[larry_cockerham]

Hood had his personal characteristics which made him a not so great choice for command of an army, but he could have muddled through that part, and obviously he had done so for his prior career. He didn't have the greatest hand in the world, but some of that was out of his control. Confederate support was nothing to write home about logistically speaking. The weather was relatively good at Franklin, even for November 30, though it worsened considerably by Nashville on December 15. Timing was more of a factor in the Tennessee campaign as far as Hood was concerning. Too much delay. Divine providence may have had a hand in the events and outcome of the campaign.

[larry_cockerham]

Hood had his personal characteristics which made him a not so great choice for command of an army, but he could have muddled through that part, and obviously he had done so for his prior career. He didn't have the greatest hand in the world, but some of that was out of his control. Confederate support was nothing to write home about logistically speaking. The weather was relatively good at Franklin, even for November 30, though it worsened considerably by Nashville on December 15. Timing was more of a factor in the Tennessee campaign as far as Hood was concerned. Too much delay. Divine providence may have had a hand in the events and outcome of the campaign.

[PINCKNEYUSMCRET]

Perhaps divine providence had a hand in the entire war. I am one of those who believe that the war was necessary to forge the nation we have today. Lord, you have to admire those brave officers and men of both sides. Having advanced across an open field against fire, I can only admire the courage of those men in Hood army, and those whom they opposed.

PINCKNEY

[larry_cockerham]

Originally Posted by PINCKNEYUSMCRET

Perhaps divine providence had a hand in the entire war. I am one of those who believe that the war was necessary to forge the nation we have today. Lord, you have to admire those brave officers and men of both sides. Having advanced across an open field against fire, I can only admire the courage of those men in Hood army, and those whom they opposed.

PINCKNEY

That being the case on your part, we certainly give our wholehearted thanks for your service. The civil war, regardless of sentiment, certainly turned out with the only palatible result possible. The nation's government, though in a bit of a shambles, had to be preserved. Those who fought the revolution against Britain certainly deserved for no less to happen. The advance of legal equality among races was obviously long overdue and at war's end was still not advanced to the desirable level. It may still not be, but I'm sure Providence is working on it.

[ole]

As a jarhead undoubtedly accustomed to discomfort, your words are high praise. And I agree. The grunts went through unbelievable privations and still managed to fight. Such men (and now women) are still among us.

ole

[PINCKNEYUSMCRET]

I would pray that providence continues to look favorably on our nation and our efforts. Ole I hope we don't treat our current warriors like the poem "Tommy" when all is said and done.

Pinckney

[larry_cockerham]

I just wanted to boost this thread back up the chart and back on the cart before it fell off in the creek. General Hood gets little applause around these parts, but the men who rode with him are in the minds and blood of many still kicking.

[samgrant]

Originally Posted by Dred

I was under the impression that Grant whole heartedly supported Sherman's march. I thought it was his original plan for attacking West to East in the deep south while he was presssing Lee agianst Richmond in the north.

This was the plan Grant was coming up with after Vicksburg:

"The next step in this process of dismemberment, he urged, should be isolation of that area westward of the line Chattanooga-Atlanta-Montgomery-Mobile. This was to be accomplished by a massive rear attack through the soft underbelly of the Confederacy. Supported by water transportation based on New Orleans and protected by the Navy, Grant intended to lead his veteran Army of Tennessee through Mobile and up the Alabama River toward Montgomery. Meanwhile, Rosecrans' Army of the Cumberland was to proceed across the Tennessee River into northern Georgia and push towards Atlanta." (emphasis mine)

Taken from The Wilderness Campaign written by Edward Steere.

This was his grand strategy before he was appointed supreme commander and moved north to the AoP. Seems to be Sherman's March is exactly what Grant wanted, even if the rest of the plan didn't go as stated.

That may have been Grant's imaginary original "Grand Strategy", but the fact is that the whole first part of that did not happen till after Sherman's march. Grant did have serious concerns about letting Hood off the hook, tho less so than Lincoln. In the end he trusted Sherman' judgment, and implicitly Thomas' ability to deal with Hood, but this was long after he imagined that "Grand Strategy". Grant approved 'the march' not because it was an idea he had in late 1863, but because it was an effective and expedient tactic in 1864.

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[ole]

Grant knew one thing: hit them. Hit them again. Do not let them get up. Kick them when they're down. Incpacitate them. Throughout most of history, there's one way to win a war: make it so bad that they give up. Or at least quit resisting.

Sherman started getting that in early '63. I figure Grant started out with it in '61.

There's just one way to make it stop; make it too painful to continue. You don't want to call uncle? I will tear off this ear I have in my teeth. You still won't call uncle? Then I'll go for the other, or maybe your nose, or your eyes. You will quit!

Yeah. It starts with the duel. And then the blows. And then the rasslin with the gouging and the rocks. Grant and Sherman went rather quickly to the rocks. Why waste the time?

That's where it was going.

ole