The Lost Papers of Confederate General John Bell Hood ed. by Stephen M. Hood (review)

Peter C. Luebke

Gettysburg Magazine, Number 55, July 2016, p. 98 (Review)

Published by University of Nebraska Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/get.2016.0017

For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/627397

[ This content has been declared free to read by the pubisher during the COVID-19 pandemic. ] Stephen M. Hood, ed. Th e Lost Papers of not only on their content but on how well the edi- Confederate General John Bell Hood. With a tor provides additional context. In this regard, Th e foreword by Richard M. McMurry. El Dorado Lost Papers of Confederate General John Bell Hood at Hills, ca: Savas Beatie, 2015. xxvi, 286 pp. times falls short. Th e documents exhibit both over- Hardcover with dust jacket, $32.95. and underannotation. Paragraphs- long notes iden- isbn 978-1- 61121- 182- 5. tify prominent generals who are familiar to most readers, such as Robert E. Lee, while more minor It is not oft en that new, major document collections fi gures go unremarked. Likewise, General Hood of prominent Confederate generals come to light, and many of his correspondents carry on lively ex- but author Stephen M. Hood discovered a cache of changes about articles their compatriots and former reports and letters relating to Gen. John Bell Hood. enemies have published; when mentioned, Stephen Early in the Civil War, General Hood commanded Hood fails to identify them. Th e editor of published what would become known as the Texas Brigade in primary- source documents should include as much the Army of Northern Virginia. In turn, his success information as necessary to establish a solid context led to promotion and transfer to the western the- for each document at hand. ater. Hood’s actions aft er receiving command of the Stephen Hood has arranged the documents by Army of Tennessee in 1864— including his failed de- subject matter and then by date, but in a few cases fense of Atlanta and his campaign into Tennessee— this system falters. For instance, letters dealing with excited controversy both then and now. Gen. Joseph Johnston’s conduct during the 1862 In Th e Lost Papers of Confederate General John Peninsula Campaign appear in a chapter putatively Bell Hood, Stephen Hood has transcribed, edit- containing letters relating to the Atlanta Campaign ed, and annotated over two hundred documents. of 1864. While this is a minor quibble, this style of Postwar correspondence comprises the bulk of the organization leads to problems when Stephen Hood collection, though some antebellum and wartime cross- references letters in his notes. Th ere, he gives documents also appear. Battle of Gettysburg en- a citation that includes the sender, recipient, and thusiasts will be interested in Dr. John T. Darby’s date but no page number. Th e reader is left to sift lengthy reports of the treatment he gave General through a lengthy list to fi nd the document in ques- Hood following his wounds suff ered at Gettysburg tion. A more thorough index or an appendix with and Chickamauga. a list of the documents cross- referenced by date General Hood emerges from his letters as a de- might have solved this problem. voted husband, a Christian devoted to his faith, a Despite these issues with the editorial appara- former general concerned over his reputation, and a tus, Th e Lost Papers of Confederate General John white Southerner upset over the failure of the Con- Bell Hood gives an unparalleled portrait of a former federacy. Many of Hood’s letters deal with his de- Confederate general preserving his reputation for sire to vindicate his conduct while in command of posterity. Th ose interested in how former Confed- the Army of Tennessee, and thus, they describe his erates refought the battles of the war with the writ- troop strength, his command decisions, and how ten word will fi nd much in this fi ne collection of well his subordinates executed his orders. His let- documents. ters, and those of his correspondents, are also pep- Peter C. Luebke pered with asides about the failure of the Confeder- Arlington, Virginia ate “revolution” and the perceived hardship of living under Republican rule in the South during Recon- struction. A number of letters to his wife, Anna, show Hood coming to terms with Confederate de- feat and his struggles to raise a family. In short, the collection provides wonderful insight into how a former Confederate navigated the postwar years. Published letters and papers must be evaluated

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