Hood Remembered

The sesquicentennial of the Confederates’ ill-fated Franklin-Nashville campaign is kicking off as John Bell Hood moves his army north into Tennessee. Hood’s intent was to drawn William T. Sherman’s armies after him; instead, Sherman plunged into Georgia, leaving the problem of Hood to Army of the Cumberland commander William T. Rosecrans.

The situation was desperate. Things went amiss for Hood almost immediately.

In the 150 years since, history has not judged him well.

But does Hood deserve the reputation he’s been saddled with? As we head into the Sesquicentennial season, we’ve asked some of ECW’s historians to offer their thoughts about one of the Confederacy’s most controversial figures: “How should we remember John Bell Hood?”

We’ll share their answers over the next few days as the Franklin-Nashville Campaign kicks off.