Customer Reviews

Shrouds of Glory: From Atlanta to Nashville: The Last Great Campaign of the Civil War

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a high school history teacher and Civil War Buff, I am always looking for ways to bring the deeds and accomplishments of history to life for an audience with open hostility for the topic. This book accomplishes this next-to-impossible task. Groom writes with the prose of a novelist (no surprise), the research of a scholar (surprise)and a genuine love for and interest in the subject matter. One of the most fascinating non-fiction books I have even read, complete with excellent maps and interesting photographs.

Shrouds of Glory does an efficent job of laying out John Bell Hood's last hurrah at a little known, but crucial battle of the Civil War. What may not be so well known is that the Battle of Nashville in December of 1864 was also the vindication of the Union General George "Pap" Thomas, (who by the way was originally from Virginia).

Linclon & Grant had their doubts about Thomas's waiting game at Nashville. The orders to relieve him of command were on the the way when Thomas unleashed the Union attack and the resulting disaster to the Confederate Army of Tennesee vindicated his patience. Sherman said the Battle of Nashville was the only battle of the Civil War where a whole army ceased to exist after the fight.

If Hood was desperate to make a break through, and he was, as Groom has laid out. Thomas was just as determined to close the door once and for all. I appreciated how this book laid out the events leading up to that battle.

Just as a side note, one of the Union regiments at Nashville was the Ohio 182nd Infantry. In that regiment was my great-grandfather, Sgt. George Debolt Newcomer.

I would have rated this book much higher had it not been for two reasons: 1. It took almost half the book for it to get really engrossing and 2. At times I had the feeling, especially in the first half, that the author favored the South and so was biased in some of his reporting. However, once the story got to the Battle of Franklin the narrative had a quick flow to it and was so compelling I could not put it down. Some of the gruesome depiction of war dead is so vivid that even a week later it sticks in my mind. I also question some of Mr. Groom's beliefs about what happened. At one point he makes a statement that leads you to believe that 1. the war was a big mistake and 2. the North was the aggressor. The statement is that "the war, by far the most destructive to human life of all America's wars, produced 600,000 casualties while freeing 3 million slaves." If Mr. Groom thinks the sole reason for the war was to free the slaves and not to preserve the union he is sadly mistaken. I think intellectually he knows better, but that old bias seems to constantly get the better of him. Still I would call this one of the great books about the war, in spite of the criticisms, because when all is said and done, it is still a great read. It ranks up there with books like "The Killer Angels."

I found this book to be an excellent and well-crafted story of the bitterly-fought Tennessee campaign and in particular, the gruesome fight at Franklin, which was a truely tragic battle. The horrendous casualties, the poor leadership on Hood's behalf, the valiant but futile assaults by his veteran troops, the relentless and devastating firepower that was unleashed upon his men, which would have stopped most other troops in their tracks, is detailed in a superb fashion. The text was easy to follow and the maps were top notch. I feel that this small, but extremely bloody battle has greatly been overlooked and often only mentioned in passing by other historians. I highly recommend this well-researched book to anyone wanting to understand what happened to the Army of Tennessee during this phase of the war. I think the handling of a truely great and courageous officer, Patrick Cleburne, was sad, fitting and interesting. Excellent reading.

This book is definitely one I would recommend for people who are not history buffs. This one reads like a novel and is not a dry account of facts or figures. It puts flesh and bones on real life characters. It is well written and an easy read. It is lacking in a few maps but it is mercifully lacking in annoying footnotes which at times can bog down reader's interests while reading facts and figures instead of keeping abreast of the story line. Now some people want and need more maps but I found it very adequate. I enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit of Civil War history about the Atlanta to Nashville campaign I didn't know about.

"Shrouds of Glory" by Winston Groom focuses on the Franklin-Nashville Campaign in November and December of 1864.

Topics covered include:

1. The Atlanta Campaign and other battles leading up to Franklin and Nashville.
2. Description of the major players of both sides: North (Sherman, Thomas, Schofield, Grant, etc.) and South (Hood, Forrest, Cleburne, etc.).
3. The Spring Hill incident where the Federal army marched up the Columbia Pike undetected by the Confederate army camping a few yards away.
4. Descriptions of the battles of Franklin and Nashville.
5. Various political alliances among generals.
6. Post-war careers of several generals.
7. Impact the Franklin and Nashville battles had on the Civil War.

While the book is an easy read and the narrative flows smoothly, I did have some problems with the title:

1. Too few maps - more would have clarified the marching and battle actions.
2. Some inaccuracies - for example, the author stated an incident where some Confederate generals imbibed in spirits (alcohol) on a particular night that may have affected their actions the next few days (perhaps this was related to the Spring Hill incident). In any event, Patrick Cleburne was mentioned as one the people involved in heavy drinking. Many sources state that Cleburne was a teetotaler during the war. Perhaps Groom should have done some more research in this area.

"Shrouds Of Glory" is okay for the person who wants to learn the basics of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign. For a more thorough study, I heartily recommend "The Confederacy's Last Hurrah" by Wiley Sword.

In hindsight, it is clear that the Confederacy made a major error giving command of their Army of Tennessee to General John Bell Hood. He was excellent at division command. There is some question about his ability at Corps command (note his hesitation at a critical moment during Joe Johnston's retreat toward Atlanta, with Sherman pressing his army). This book, most literately written by the author of "Forrest Gump" and other novels, depicts the leadup to and campaign toward Nashville. This was the last major offensive effort by Southern forces--and it was a disaster, in effect destroying one of the two great armies of the Confederacy.

The author, Winston Groom, begins by noting (Page 3): "[This story] is about the last big Confederate campaign of the Civil War--the trek of the Armey of Tennessee from Atlanta to Nashville. . . ." The book traces the movement by Sherman, with three component armies (Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland) against Joe Johnston's forces. Slowly, Johnston gave ground, until his forces were pushed back to Atlanta itself. In part because of Hood's intriguing, Johnston was removed, to be replaced by Hood. Hood himself is an intriguing figure, and this book captures his persona (including his ill-fated courtship of Sally Preston).

We see his forces being used to try to save Atlanta, but--ultimately--defeated by Sherman. Then, his retrograde movement and his ultimate decision to take the offensive toward Nashville, hoping to turn the fortunes of the Confederacy around. His advance and the coalescing of a scratch force made up of many disparate forces under Union General George Thomas is well told. The near great victory at Spring Hill (and speculation as to what went wrong) and its ghastly consequence at Franklin are related. Then, the foolhardy drive to Nashville, after the decimation of his forces at Franklin. And, ultimately, Thomas' smashing victory over Hood.

The final segment of the book traces the lives of key figures after the war's end. . . .

Overall, a well written work. Not much new is related here. But for the person who wants a literate review of the final offensive by the South, this will be a useful work.

Groom the novelist shows in this quick read of a remarkable civil war story. The details are present to please military history purists and the author's ability to weave an excellent story from the facts will make this enjoyable to the casual civil war reader. Good beach or holiday book because you will not want to put it down.

My great-great grandfather fought in these battles, so this book was heart-breaking to read. It has been a month since I read it and my mind is still filled with "what if's". The blunders were so huge, the courage so magnificent. I thought the author did a superb job of trying to get into the minds of the key players; I found the book very personal.

For the most fact-filled book on the Battle of Franklin, one must turn to "Five Tragic Hours" by McDonough and Connelly. But for the best written narrative on the battle, Groom's book has no peer. In the same way that "The Killer Angels" gets inside the personalities at Gettysburg, so Groom takes us alongside the Confederate campfires at Spring Hill, puts into the frantic line of march with the Union army, and allows us to taste the smoke in the flame-shot darkness of Franklin. At last this unknown and underappreciated battle has a chronicle worthy of its significance.