December 15-16, 1864 - Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas (right) wins the Battle of Nashville. Advancing from his defeat at Franklin, Gen. John Bell Hood arrived outside the Union lines at Nashville on December 2 with the Army of Tennessee. Digging in, he awaited Thomas' attack. Methodically planning his assault, Thomas was beset with messages from Pres. Abraham Lincoln and Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant urging immediate action. Slowed by severe winter weather, Thomas assaulted Hood's position on December 15. Pushing the Confederates back, he failed to drive them away. Forming a new line that night, Hood remained on the defensive. Advancing again the next day, Thomas' men enveloped Hood's left flank and routed his army. Fleeing to Tupelo, MS, the Army of Tennessee was effectively destroyed as a fighting force. The victory preserved the Union hold on Tennessee and ended a threat to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's supply lines as he advanced across Georgia. A Confederate disaster, what should Hood have done differently?
Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration
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