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Page 41(Nashville)Next Page


Nashville

December 15-16, 1864
Davidson County, TN
Campaign: Franklin-Nashville Campaign (1864)

 

Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas, USA
Gen. John Bell Hood, CSA

Thomas had around 50,000 men against Hood’s 23,000.

Precise losses are unknown, but Hood’s army was shattered.

Following the Battle of FRANKLIN on November 30, the Fourth andTwenty-third Federal infantry corps, temporarily commanded byMaj. Gen. John M. SCHOFIELD, hurried northward to join Maj. Gen.George H. THOMAS at Nashville.  After an eighteen-mile night march, they arrived there on December 1.

Though severely crippled by the loss of approximately 6,000 at FRANKLIN, the Confederate army, commanded by General John Bell HOOD, continued its pursuit of Federal forces, arriving at
Nashville on December the 2d.  Hood, realizing the city's defenses were too strong for a direct assault with his army of 23,000, took up a position on the heights around the southern outskirts of the city, and close to Federal defenses. 

George Thomas had been strengthening the defenses of the city, and organizing his forces since his arrival on October 3d.  On the same day that Schofield's exhausted troops stumbled into Nashville, Federal reinforcements in the way of A. J. Smith's XVI Corps of 10,000 arrived from Missouri.  Nonetheless, the cautious Thomas felt he was ill-prepared to give battle to the Confederates now confronting him.

General Nathan Bedford FORREST'S Confederate cavalrymen were the first to arrive around Nashville on the morning of the 2d, followed by an infantry corps at 2:00 p.m. Hood's  depleted ranks stretched themselves in a thin line along a four-mile front, on a series of hills running south of Nashville.
Even after the debacle at FRANKLIN, Hood still felt he was left with few choices of action. He felt he could not cross the  Cumberland River without reinforcements, and that he could not turn south to retreat. His only option, in his mind, was to besiege Nashville, await reinforcements and try to draw Thomas
out for an attack. Keeping with this plan, Hood immediately detached Maj. Gen. William B. Bate's infantry division and sent them to MURFREESBORO to attack the 8,000-man Federal garrison, hoping Thomas would send them reinforcements. On December 11th, Hood sent Forrest and two divisions of cavalry to assist the infantry division at MURFREESBORO. This action severely depleted Hood’s ability to patrol or protect his flanks Nashville
Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective
eHistory Book Reviews
MultiMedia Histories

eHistory Archive Logo
THESE ARE ARCHIVED PAGES OF THE OLD EHISTORY SITE
click here for the NEW eHistory site
These pages are not actively maintained and may have errors in content and functionality
icon: the new eHistory
click to see our Origins feature click to see our Multimedia histories click to see our Book Reviews
Ancient History Middle Ages Civil War World War II Vietnam War Middle East World
      eHistory  >  American Civil War Search
Articles
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Page 41(Nashville)Next Page


Nashville

December 15-16, 1864
Davidson County, TN
Campaign: Franklin-Nashville Campaign (1864)

 

Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas, USA
Gen. John Bell Hood, CSA

Thomas had around 50,000 men against Hood’s 23,000.

Precise losses are unknown, but Hood’s army was shattered.

Following the Battle of FRANKLIN on November 30, the Fourth andTwenty-third Federal infantry corps, temporarily commanded byMaj. Gen. John M. SCHOFIELD, hurried northward to join Maj. Gen.George H. THOMAS at Nashville.  After an eighteen-mile night march, they arrived there on December 1.

Though severely crippled by the loss of approximately 6,000 at FRANKLIN, the Confederate army, commanded by General John Bell HOOD, continued its pursuit of Federal forces, arriving at
Nashville on December the 2d.  Hood, realizing the city's defenses were too strong for a direct assault with his army of 23,000, took up a position on the heights around the southern outskirts of the city, and close to Federal defenses. 

George Thomas had been strengthening the defenses of the city, and organizing his forces since his arrival on October 3d.  On the same day that Schofield's exhausted troops stumbled into Nashville, Federal reinforcements in the way of A. J. Smith's XVI Corps of 10,000 arrived from Missouri.  Nonetheless, the cautious Thomas felt he was ill-prepared to give battle to the Confederates now confronting him.

General Nathan Bedford FORREST'S Confederate cavalrymen were the first to arrive around Nashville on the morning of the 2d, followed by an infantry corps at 2:00 p.m. Hood's  depleted ranks stretched themselves in a thin line along a four-mile front, on a series of hills running south of Nashville.
Even after the debacle at FRANKLIN, Hood still felt he was left with few choices of action. He felt he could not cross the  Cumberland River without reinforcements, and that he could not turn south to retreat. His only option, in his mind, was to besiege Nashville, await reinforcements and try to draw Thomas
out for an attack. Keeping with this plan, Hood immediately detached Maj. Gen. William B. Bate's infantry division and sent them to MURFREESBORO to attack the 8,000-man Federal garrison, hoping Thomas would send them reinforcements. On December 11th, Hood sent Forrest and two divisions of cavalry to assist the infantry division at MURFREESBORO. This action severely depleted H