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The Finishing Stroke: Texans in the 1864 Tennessee Campaign (Military History of Texas, 1)
written by John R. Lundberg
Studio : McWhiney Foundation Press
by McWhiney Foundation Press
Publisher : McWhiney Foundation Press
Released : 2003-04
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9781893114333
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 3 reviews)
List Price : $24.95
Our Price : $23.93
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Nothing Much New |
The Finishing Stroke should be a book honoring extraordinary soldiers; Texas troops of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Unfortunately, the book is very much a glorified Cliff Notes type collection of historical information provided in other books on the Army of Tennessee and Hood's 1864 Tennessee Campaign, and also, sadly, repitition of the despicable slandering of Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood. Not only does author John Lundberg offer very little new primary source material, he also fails to offer any new, independent opinion or analysis. His bibliography is virtually identical to the other major books on Hood's 1864 Tennessee Campaign, and his opinions, analyses and interpretations are simply an echo of other authors, namely Sword, Horn, McDonough and Connelly.
Most disappointing is Lundberg's propensity to make statements of fact, yet when I checked many of his noted sources, the "facts" were not facts at all, rather, an opinion of an earlier author...sometimes almost verbatim! As English historian Philip Guedalla wrote in 1920, "History repeats itself. Historians repeat each other." Unfortunately, almost all the historians whom Lundberg repeats are all venemous critics of Gen. Hood who have engaged in cherry-picking of historical records, concealing all historical records that support or praise Gen. Hood. Lundberg naively parrots these authors, passing their misinformation on to his readers.
One bit of praise; Lundberg is the first and only known author to expose Gen. Hood's acceptance of responsibility for the failure of the Tennessee Campaign. Lundberg quotes Private WG Davenport of the 6th Texas Cavalry, who wrote that Gen. Hood, during the retreat from Nashville, told a group of soldiers, "Boys, this is all my fault." All other authors condemn Gen. Hood for never accepting personal blame for the defeats in Tennessee, and conceal the multiple sources of Gen. Hood accepting blame.
The Finishing Stroke is a useful chronical of Granbury's Texas Brigade in the 1864 Tennessee Campaign, and provides more quotes from the diaries and memoirs of the veterans than other books, but the danger of the book lies in its wearisome repetition of now discredited myths regarding Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood's strategic decisions and personal demeanor during the desperate and ill-fated Tennessee Campaign. |
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An excellent book.... |
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I really enjoyed this book. What the writer conveys in the little known contribution of the Texans to the fighting history of the Army of Tennessee. It highlights the courage and determination of these soldiers. They fought under, I believe , under the best Division on the Confederate side, Gen. Patrick Cleburne. The book also documents the needless sacrifice of the Battle of Franklin. I would encourage anyone to read this book... |
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Light and Pleasing Despite Texas Bias |
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The introduction to this first in a series on Texas' military history, hints at the series' bias stating "Of all the fifty states, Texas has by far the most colorful and dynamic history." The forward laments that Hood's Texas Brigade had overshadowed the Texans who had fought in the Army of Tenn. but adds that "This book restores those Texans to their rightful place alongside Hood's brigade as the finest group of soldiers who wore Confederate gray." Luckily for the North and the Union, there weren't more Texans or else the contest would have ended differently. Interestingly at no place in the book was Gen. John Bell Hood described as a Texan, though he had adopted the state as his own. The fact that Hood was the villain and scapegoat of the campaign probably was a factor in this oversight. Hood was so unpopular that the men changed the words of the song "The Yellow Rose of Texas" to end with, "But the Gallant Hood of Texas played Hell in Tennessee." Overall the book is written with style and flows well. It is not intended to be a detailed study, but instead a narrative of the Texas troops in Hood's Tennessee Campaign of 1864. The primary focus is on Granbury's Texas Brigade. The bulk of this unit had not seen much action until the battle of Chickamauga, but they were excellent infantrymen. Were they the best? The argument could be made, but what would be the point? There were other outstanding brigades. Granbury's men were dependable and never lacked for courage. Interestingly one of the most admired figures in this book is the Arkansan, Gen. Patrick Cleburne. Truly one of the great men of the Civil War his reputation continues to grow and grow. The fact that Granbury's men were led by this Arkansan did much to enhance their reputation. Several historians have lamented that it was the Texan, Hood, rather than the Arkansan, Cleburne who led the Army of Tennessee. The author rightfully treats Cleburne as a hero. This work relies primarily on previously published works so no new material is provided, but the author makes good use of his sources. The author noted that a more thorough history of Granbury's Brigade by Dr. Danny Sessums will be published in the future. As an overview this is a decent effort, but the brave Texans who fought in the Army of Tennessee did not need any bias to prove their worth. Just the facts would have sufficed and honored them more. |
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