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John Bell Hood: The Most Aggressive Confederate General

John Bell Hood (1831-1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Known for his aggressive style of leadership, he initially led the famous Texas Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia before being promoted to division command and, ultimately, to the command of the Army of Tennessee in the western theater. He was severely wounded several times, losing the use of his left arm at the Battle of Gettysburg (1-3 July 1863) and losing his right leg a few months later at the Battle of Chickamauga (19-20 September). In late 1864, he oversaw the disastrous Franklin-Nashville Campaign, for which he has been heavily criticized. Hood survived the war, dying of yellow fever on 30 August 1879.

Early Life

Hood was born on 29 June 1831 in Owingsville, a small town in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. He was the son of John Wills Hood, a prosperous doctor, and his wife, Theodosia French Hood, and had several older brothers and sisters. Unlike his well-mannered siblings, Hood was a rebellious child whose "indifference to social customs and academics kept him frequently in trouble" (Sword, 7). His antics greatly annoyed his father, who once lost his temper with the boy and told him that if he could not behave, then he should "go to the nearest gate post and butt brains out" (ibid). He received a modest education at a subscription school in rural Kentucky, but he was a poor student and received low grades. However, thanks to the influence of his maternal uncle, a US congressman, he managed to gain acceptance into the prestigious Military Academy at West Point in 1849.

At West Point, Hood was well-liked by his fellow cadets, who affectionately referred to him as 'Sam'. His classmates included future Civil War generals James B. McPherson (1828-1864) and John M. Schofield (1831-1906), both of whom would one day oppose him on the battlefield, and the school's superintendent at the time of his graduation was none other than Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), his future commanding general. Hood performed quite poorly at West Point, scoring low grades, particularly in the field of mathematics. During his senior year alone, he received 196 demerits, coming only four demerits shy of expulsion. Nevertheless, he managed to graduate in the summer of 1853, ranking 44th in a class of 52. Breveted a second lieutenant, he was briefly assigned to an infantry post in California before joining the newly formed 2nd US Cavalry Regiment in Texas in 1855.

Hood got his first taste of combat on 20 July 1857, when his detachment of 25 men was ambushed by a larger party of Comanche warriors. He was wounded during the initial attack when an arrow shot through his left hand and lodged in his horse's bridle. Thinking quickly, he simply snapped off the arrow shaft and rallied his men before leading a countercharge that drove off the Comanches. He was promoted to first lieutenant in August 1858 and, in 1860, was offered a position as chief cavalry instructor at West Point – his proven skill in the field had clearly balanced out his poor academic record. Hood, however, declined the offer, preferring active field duty to the classroom.

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