INTRODUCTION:

In the spring of 1861, the Confederate States of America was, as a rising nation, young, strong, and full of promise, conveying the impression of a bright, hopeful future.


Similarly, that year John Bell Hood, also young, strong, ambitious, and of boundless potential, began his rising career in the Confederate Army. His intense zeal, his quality of leadership, his courage and unswerving devotion to his country, promised as well, a bright, expectant future. Possessing a rare combination of skill, courage, and fortitude, like the bold nation he served, he seemed destined for greatness.

In 1862, General Hood, in similar fashion as the Confederacy, had rapidly risen in prominence and recognition. For his outstanding performance as a commander he had received numerous promotions, from 2nd Lieutenant in 1861, to Major General by the end of 1862. At the close of that year, the Confederacy had been on the verge of international political recognition, having proven itself a more than worthy opponent of the aggressive United States government. With the conclusion of 1862, the South, along with the career of General Hood, was at its high tide.

The summer of 1863 however, proved the decisive turning point. At Gettysburg both the Confederacy and General Hood received serious wounds. The Army of Northern Virginia, under the heretofore indomitable General Robert E. Lee, was turned back from its invasion of the North, suffering tremendous losses. It was a pivotal moment; the downward spiral had begun.

General Hood would likewise suffer a serious wound, forever losing the use of his left arm. Although, as with the South, he was far from defeated. He and his country would fight on, battered and scarred, but after Gettysburg, they would both never be the same.


In 1863, General Hood was assigned to the Army of Tennessee. At the battle of Chickamauga the Confederacy, and General Hood, would both suffer severely, although this time in victory. However, on the threshold of completely destroying the Union Army, a reluctant Confederate commander Braxton Bragg would hesitate, and the full effect of the Confederate victory would be lost. General Hood, exploiting errors in the Union command, had led his division to a rout of the enemy, but was again seriously wounded, resulting in the amputation of his right leg. Both the South and General Hood, although still not beaten, were however, further crippled.

The following year a weary, battered, yet brave Army of Tennessee, under the command of the one-armed and one-legged General Hood, would yield Atlanta to the brutal siege of General William T. Sherman, after a courageous forty-six day resistance. Then, in the winter of 1864, on the hills overlooking Nashville, General Hood would weep at the sight of his battered army, retreating desperately from the onslaught of General George Thomas's Union attack.


In the end John Bell Hood had lost almost everything; his body, his career, his reputation, his army, and his country. What remained was his honor, and the knowledge and satisfaction that he had done his duty, and served his country and its people to the best of his ability. The young, gallant Confederate officer, and the Confederate States of America, had both risen, and fallen together.

This work is dedicated in loving respect and appreciation to his many sacrifices of body and soul...and the sacrifice that his legacy continues to suffer today.