An engrossing contemporary (1864) history of a Civil War field army from its formation in 1861 at Louisville; Kentucky; to its victories at Chattanooga and Chickamauga in October 1863; its defense; conquest; and occupation of the border states of Kentucky and Tennessee; and its police record of spies and dealings with the civilian population in occupied Tennessee; a mountainous region that supplied the Confederacy with food and controlled important rail lines. Indexed for the first time; it includes exciting accounts of the Army of the Cumberland's expeditions and battles in Kentucky and Tennessee along with a complete description of the army's organization and its leaders.
#1782226 in Books Stackpole Books 2011-08-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.90 x 1.00 x 6.00l; 1.25 #File Name: 0811710599368 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Detailed narrative of Confederate retreatBy LostMarbleThis is a day-by-day narrative of Hood's retreat from the battle of Nashville. It is deeply detailed and full of quotations from soldiers' narratives. The story is told from the perspectives both of the retreating Confederates and the pursuing Federals. The retreat was a long; tough slog through bitter cold; mud; ice; snow and rain for both; and the misery was shared by both sides; though the Federals were better provisioned as long as their wagon trains could keep up. It should be noted that the experience of this chase was more or less the same every day for the three or so weeks; and the day-by-day presentation gets repetitive and uncomfortable. A number of rear-guard actions provide variety; and showcase the skills of Nathan Bedford Forrest; demonstrating how essential his cavalry's performance was to extracting the Confederate forces from Tennessee without capture.This somewhat tedious treatment provided the level of detail I wanted to know; so I was pleased with it. For the average reader; I think it would fall into the category of "too much information."10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. "Spellbinding" is the right word to call this book.By Rusty G SATXThe author conveys the fear; the mud; the misery; the cold; the intensity to the reader. My Great-Great Grandfather was a member of General Hood's army; and while books about Franklin are numerous; this is the fullest and best treatment of Nashville and the retreat that I have ever seen. Scholarship about General Hood has markedly improved in recent years. He was outlived by his critics; his adversaries; and by those who knew that he was a better battlefield general than they were; and they took it out on him in print. Nobody alive and writing today knows why the Confederate flank dissolved. The author doesn't spend too much time speculating and instead uses that as a starting point to tell a story that we can understand. Why did Pompey's flank cave in at Pharsalus? It's that kind of question. Only those who were actually there could tell us. Several characters come to the forefront in this story; but especially Generals Stephen Dill Lee; N.B. Forrest; and George Thomas. General Thomas was under a lot of pressure from President Lincoln and General Ulysses S. Grant to "do something". Ever the patient general; The Rock refused to be rushed; "put them on hold" and watched and waited. The Confederates were desperate to retreat to a position where they could reform; the Federals were desperate to prevent a still-dangerous enemy from escaping and to survive the winter conditions themselves. This gripping account reads like a story by Ambrose Bierce. Both sides took a beating. The Confederates were all but destroyed; the Federals were exhausted and badly mauled. There were moments of kindness and mercy on both sides. I did not know until I read this book that the Union Navy made an attempt to cut the Confederates off at a river crossing. I won't tell you the rest of the story.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great book!By EddieA serious study on the bravery of the army of Tennessee during its retreat through war torn Tennessee after the horror of the battle of Nashville. Recommended for any serious student of the war in the western theater.
