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Advance And Retreat: Personal Experiences In The United States And Confederate States Armies
written by General John Bell Hood
Studio : Da Capo Press
by Da Capo Press
Publisher : Da Capo Press
Released : 1993-08-21
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780306805349
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 10 reviews)
List Price : $16.95
Our Price : $9.63
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Product Description |
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When John Bell Hood entered into the services of the Confederate Army, he was 29 years old, a handsome man and courageous soldier, loyal to the ideal of Confederate Independence and eager to fight for it. He led his men bravely into the battles of Second Manassas, Gaines’s Mill, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga. He rose fast, attaining the temporary rank of full general, only to fall faster. Hood emerged from the war with his left arm shattered and uselss, his right leg missing, his face aged far beyond his 33 years, and with his military reputation in disgrace. Blamed by contemporaries for contributing to the defeat of his beloved Confederacy, Hood struggled to refute their accusations. His most vehement critic, General Johnston, charged Hood with insubordination while serving under him and, after succeeding him in command, of recklessly leading Confederate troops to their “slaughter” and “useless butchery.” Sherman, too, in his Memoirs,took a harsh view of Hood. Born of controversy, Advance and Retreat is of course a highly controversial book. It is also full of invaluable information and insights into the retreat from Dalton in early 1864, the fighting around Atlanta, and the disastrous Tennessee Campaign in winter of that year. Far from being a careful, sober, objective account, this book is the passionate, bitter attempt of a soldier to rebut history’s judgment of himself as general and man. |
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"It's All My Fault" - If Only John Bell Hood Had Said So |
After his decisive defeat on the third day at Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee, as he rode among his men, was widely quoted as saying, "It's all my fault. It is I that have lost this fight, and you must help me out of it the best way you can. All good men must rally." If only John Bell Hood had emulated his hero General Lee and accepted responsibility for the defeats at Franklin and Nashville, history would have been more sympathetic. Hood's defensive memoir, titled Advance and Retreat, is remarkable in what is not said.
My copy of Advance and Retreat is a 1985 publication of The Blue and Grey Press. The first 68 pages provide a record of John Bell Hood's experiences up to the day that he reported for duty in the Army of Tennessee. The next 92 pages are Hood's detailed reply to General Johnston's criticism of Hood himself. The remaining chapters - Siege of Atlanta, Atlanta Untenable, Correspondence with Sherman on the Rules of War, Campaign to the Alabama Line, and Tennessee Campaign - are Hood's account of the disastrous period July through December, 1864.
The final chapter titled Rashness - Johnston - Fabius - Scipio are Hood's reply to Sherman's pointed criticism: "I did not suppose that General Hood, though rash, would venture to attack fortified places like Allatoona, Resaca, Decatur, and Nashville; but he did so, and in so doing, played into our hands perfectly."
John Hood was an ambitious man of great courage and valor that was promoted beyond his capability. The Confederacy was desperately searching for leaders in that summer of 1864 that could resist the inexorable Union tide. But how could any leader, even another Stonewall Jackson, have avoided defeat? Hood's tragedy was that he received what he coveted: leadership of the Army of Tennessee.
John Hood's surprisingly well-written memoir, Advance and Retreat, is mandatory reading for anyone that studies the Civil War. I strongly suggest, however, that you first read John Bell Hood and the War for Southern Independence, an exceptional biography by Richard M. McMurry published by The University Press of Kentucky (1982). McMurry is sympathetic, but his in depth analysis provides valuable context setting for John Bell Hood's memoirs.
For those who enjoy Civil War historical fiction, I also recommend the short novel, Nashville 1864, by Madison Jones. |
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Hood's story and his denials |
John Bell Hood, perhaps one of south's finest brigade and division commanders, perhaps one of south's worst army commanders, his life is one of great irony. A classical example of a man who was promoted into total incompetency, Hood's memoirs reflects his thoughts and his views on his military career. He spent much of his writing defending himself and his tactics and strategies. His book may be considered to be one of your classical Civil War memoirs which was written not for history's sakes but for reputation's sake. In doing so, his failures wasn't his' but those of others. As one previous reviewers wrote, Hood retreated from the truth to make his case.
Nevertheless, the book remains quite readable, somewhat interesting and informative if only to see what Hood was trying to do and hope to do in retrospect. He could have been suffering from post tramatic stress syndrome as his actions seem to be more erratic as his wounds continued with the war. |
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Hood, the Gallant Confederate |
John Bell Hood has been called everything from a gallant hero to a drug-addicted fool. The truth lies somewhere in between. MANY false truths have been all too easily accepted as fact by historians and Civil War enthusiaths alike, and I personally think he doesn't deserve such a negative stigma.
Most all would agree that hood was a better Brigade and Division commander than he was a commander of the Army of Tennessee (his stint as a Corps commander during the early stages of the Atlanta campaign do not show him to be one way or the other, due to the fact that any General can direct his men to fall back, erect Breastworks, and fall back again). However, part of this is due to the fact that as Hood rose in rank, time passed, and the hopes of a Confederate victory waned. Even Robert E. Lee himself would have been hard pressed to turn the 1864 Tennessee campaign into a sucess.
Hood loved his troops. It is an absolute lie to say that he did not care about his men's lives. After nearly every battle in which he fought, Franklin included, he was seen to be weeping uncontrollably, grieving over the loss of his men. The men of his famed Texas "Brigade" held a special place in his heart.
The book is not a straightforeward telling of John Bell Hood's career; the book is written from a point of view. Therefore, it tends to lean towards that point of view. What do you expect a man to say, "I was a horrible commander"? It is still a good read, worth any Civil War buff's time and money. It is especially usefull if you are looking to better understand the thought process of John Bell Hood.
To me, John Bell Hood is a unique Civil War soldier. He gave body and soul (especially body) for his cause, and whether you agree with the cause, or his descisions as a soldier, you have to respect him for that. |
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"Hood's retreat"...from the truth! |
Although this book is very useful if you're wanting to learn more about Gen. John Bell Hood, the fact remains that it is a very bitter memoir lashing out against his enemies (especially Joseph Johnston) while fiercely defending his outdated, suicidal tactics that he used as an officer throughout his military career.
Even in his youth there were clear signs that Hood was not cut out to be a military genius. At West Point he "earned" 196 demerits and came close to being expelled. He lost 25% of his command (2nd Cavalry) fighting Comanche warriors on Devil's River, Texas, in 1856. At the Battle of Second Bull Run, his Texas brigade suffered a staggering 42% in casualties. At the Battle of Antietam, his division was virtually wiped out, with only 318 surviving. And then came his bloody frontal assaults he ordered against Gen. Sherman's army during the Atlanta campaign.
As if Hood's record wasn't bad enough, his Fall, 1864 invasion of Tennessee ended in total destruction of the once proud Army of Tennessee. First, there's the dismal failure to defeat Schofield's army at Spring Hill. Then there was the brutal slaughter of nearly 1,700 Confederate soldiers at Franklin. There are many puzzling questions about Hood's leadership at Franklin. Why did he attack with only two corps, instead of waiting for Gen. Stephen D. Lee and his 8,000 troops? Why didn't he wait for all his artillery to arrive before ordering the attack? Why didn't he order an attack on Schofield's weak flanks instead of his heavily defended center?
Gen. Hood wrote that the reason he didn't wait for the artillery was because he didn't want to risk shelling innocent civilians that lived in Franklin. This is ridiculous, however, because the two batteries that were available (only one for each of Hood's attacking corps!) for the attack were heavily used during the battle. This is only one of many times that Hood avoided the truth in his memoirs.
After butchering his command at Franklin, Hood led his army into complete disaster at the Battle of Nashville. Finally, Hood offered his resignation (it was easily accepted) following this failiure, but the damage to the Army of Tennessee had been done.
Gen. Hood is indeed a tragic figure of the Civil War, representing the badly outdated infantry tactics of the era as well as the careless bravery that so many officers possessed. Some diehard supporters of Hood stand by his actions and point to his unquestionable courage. But in my opinion, what's the point of being a brave officer if you place no value on the lives of your men? Overall, I recommend this book merely for the purpose of better understanding Gen. Hood's character. |
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It was Joe Johnstons fault! |
A good narrative from JB Hood but lets face it..There was no excuses for the Hood ordered frontal suicide attack at Franklin! Most of his subordinate commanders including the great Patrick Cleburne himself advised against it. As the previous reviewer pointed out, most of Hood's book is in answer to post war charges from Joe Johnston in his own book. Hood himself stated that he felt the AOT was weak in the fact that they had become accustomed to the defense of breastworks. Take a look at the losses to the AOT in Atlanta as Hood orders them out of their own defensive breast works to attack Sherman's forces. Atlanta fell. It just got worse in Tennessee. Hood's glory days were in the east in the ANV as a brigade commander. It's a good a read and I recommend. Howevere don't assume because Hood was there, this book the final word.
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