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Lieut. Gen. John B. Hood

 

 

 

Born: June 1 or June 29, 1831

Owingsville, Kentucky

Died: August 30, 1879

New Orleans, Louisiana

Lieut. Gen. John B. Hood

1853: West Point Graduate

1853: Brevet 2nd Lieutenant

August 1858: 1st Lieutenant

April 1861: Resigned U.S. Army

April 1861: Captain, CSA

September 30, 1861: Colonel

March 26, 1862: Brigadier General

October 10, 1862: Major General

September 20, 1863: Lieutenant General

1853: West Point Graduate - 44 out of 52

1853: Commissioned a Brevet 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Infantry serving at Fort James, California

Was later transferred to the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in Texas

July 20, 1857: Commanding a reconnaissance patrol, he received the first of many wounds that would occur during his military career with an arrow through his left hand during action against the Comanches at Devil's Run, Texas

August 1858: Promoted to 1st Lieutenant

April 1861: Resigned from the U.S. Army after Fort Sumter deciding to serve his adopted state of Texas

Joined the Confederate Army as a Cavalry Captain then was promoted to Major and sent to Brig. Gen. Magruder's cavalry in the lower Virginia peninsula

July 12, 1861: Skirmish at Newport News

September 30, 1861: Promoted to Colonel of the 4th Texas Infantry Regiment

February 20, 1862: Assigned command of new brigade of mainly Texas regiments

March 20, 1862: Promoted to Brigadier General

Established a reputation as a aggressive commander

July 27, 1862: Battle of Gaines Mill - Lead his brigade in a charge that broke the Union line. Was considered the most Confederate performance in the Seven Days Battle. Over 400 men and most of the officers in the Texas brigade were killed or wounded. Hood wept at the sight of the dead and dying men on the field.

Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson stated The men who carried this position were truly soldiers indeed.

July 26, 1862: As Maj. Gen. William Whiting left the army on medical furlough, Hood became the permanent division commander. His command was reassigned to Maj. Gen. James Longstreet's Corps.

August 29-30, 1862: 2nd Battle of Bull Run - Hood lead the assault on the Union flank and forced the Union retreat

During pursuit of Union forces, Hood became involved in a dispute with Brig. Gen. Nathan Evans over captured ambulances. Evans arrested Hood, but Gen. Lee intervened and retained his service.

Just before the Battle of South Mountain, Hood was still in the rear. His Texas troops shouted to Gen. Lee, Give us Hood. Hood was restored to command despite refusing to apologize for his conduct.

September 17, 1862: Battle of Antietam - Hood's Division came to relief of Stonewall Jackson's Corp on the Confederate left flank

In the evening after the battle, Gen. Lee asked Hood where his division was. Hood's response was, The are lying on the field where you sent them. Out of 2,000 men, almost 1,000 were casualties

October 10, 1862: Promoted to Major General

December 13, 1862: Battle of Fredericksburg - saw little action

Spring of 1863: Missed the Battle of Chancellorsville as Longstreet's Corps was detached in Suffolk, Virginia

Expressed grief when he heard about Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson's death. He deeply admired, personally and militarily.

July 1-3, 1863: Battle of Gettysburg

July 2, 1863: 2-4pm: Met Union forces at Little Round Top. As the attack started, an artillery shell exploded overhead damaging his left arm which was incapacitated him

Hood recuperated in Richmond, where he made a social impression on the ladies of the Confederacy

September 19-20, 1863: Battle of Chickamaugu Hood repulsed an attack by Jefferson's C. Davis' Union division

September 20, 1863: Hood led Longstreet's assault that exploited a gap in the Federal line which led to the of Maj. Gen. Rosecran's Union Army of the Cumberland

However, Hood, once again severely wounded. His right femur was fractured which resulted in his lef being amputated four inches below the hip. The surgeon sent the leg with Hood in the ambulance, he was so sure he was going to die. Hood recovered at the home of Col. Francis Little and then in Richmond

September 20, 1863: Longstreet recommended Hood to be promoted to Lieutenant General. the Confederate Senate approved the promotion on February 11, 1864.

Atlanta Campaign: Hood Urged the cautious Gen. Johnston to act aggressively, but Johnston just retreated as he always done during the war. The Army of the Tennessee kept withdrawing until he reached the Chattahoochee River

Gen Bragg was sent to interview Hood and Joseph Wheeler. In the end, Pres. Davis relieved Johnston with hood who Bragg endorsed

July 18, 1864: Promoted to General, but never confirmed by the Senate

Hood's command did not go unnoticed by Lieut. Gen. Sherman. he asked his subordinates Maj. Gen. McPherson and Maj. Gen. Schofield who shared their experiences at West Point with Hood. Upon learning about Hood's reckless and gambling tendencies, Sherman planned to use their knowledge to his advantage

July 20, 1864: Battle of Peachtree Creek

May 1-September 8, 1864: Atlanta Campaign

July 28, 1864: Battle of Ezra Church

September-December 1864: Hood's Tennessee Campaign

November 30, 1864: Battle of Franklin

December 15-16, 1864: Battle of Nashville

Hood surrendered himself in Natchez, Mississippi and was paroled may 31, 1865

Boatner, Mark M. III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York:David McKay, 1967. P 407-408

Commager, Henry Steele, ed. The Civil War Archive The History of the Civil War in Documents. New York: Merrill, 1973. p

          178-180, 672-674, 700-702, 804-807

John Bell Hood. 3 April 2022. web. 3 June 2022.

Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State, 1999. p 141-142

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