After Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's forces ravaged Atlanta in 1864; Ulysses S. Grant urged him to complete the primary mission Grant had given him: to destroy the Confederate army in Georgia. Attempting to draw the Union army north; General John Bell Hood's Confederate forces focused their attacks on Sherman's supply line; the railroad from Chattanooga; and then moved across north Alabama and into Tennessee. As Sherman initially followed Hood's men to protect the railroad; Hood hoped to lure the Union forces out of the lower South and; perhaps more important; to recapture the long-occupied city of Nashville. Though Hood managed to cut communication between Sherman and George H. Thomas's Union forces by placing his troops across the railroads south of the city; Hood's men were spread over a wide area and much of the Confederate cavalry was in Murfreesboro. Hood's army was ultimately routed. Union forces pursued the Confederate troops for ten days until they recrossed the Tennessee River. The decimated Army of Tennessee (now numbering only about 15;000) retreated into northern Alabama and eventually Mississippi. Hood requested to be relieved of his command. Less than four months later; the war was over. Written in a lively and engaging style; Nashville presents new interpretations of the critical issues of the battle. James Lee McDonough sheds light on how the Union army stole past the Confederate forces at Spring Hill and their subsequent clash; which left six Confederate generals dead. He offers insightful analysis of John Bell Hood's overconfidence in his position and of the leadership and decision-making skills of principal players such as Sherman; George Henry Thomas; JohnM. Schofield; Hood; and others. Within the pages of Nashville; McDonough's subjects; both common soldiers and officers; present their unforgettable stories in their own words. Unlike most earlier studies of the battle of Nashville; McDonough's account examines the contributions of black Union regiments and gives a detailed account of the battle itself as well as its place in the overall military campaign. It will become the definitive treatment of a crucial battle-ground of the Civil War.
#200474 in Books 2002-09-01 2002-09-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .88 x 6.00l; 1.01 #File Name: 1570718423352 pages
Review
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A great resource for the rational Biblical readerBy BookHimDanI love all of Gary Greenberg's books. As a biblical and legal scholar (Doctor of Law); he brings a uniquely rational and logical approach to everything he writes.The title is a bit unfortunate; as it has a negative connotation of debunking myths; but the truth is that the book gives you the historical and theological sources for each bible story. So; while we all may have read of Gilgamesh in relation to Noah's Ark story; Greenberg brings dozens of similar stories from the surrounding cultures of the time for EACH of the biblical stories.While I knew of some of the Ugaritic stories; the bulk of background information in this book is about Egyptian stories; most of which were new to me.If you are looking for tools to help you think about the bible in "rational" rather than "faith" terms; then you will probably find this book interesting; as I did.I like to think of the bible; besides as being the first-ever; greatest-ever and largest-scale-ever literary and poetic work; also as the "state of the art" of the most advanced thinkers of the day. If you think of it in that light; then you would want to know what others knew and were thinking at the time. Greenberg's book (like all his other books) gives you exactly the background you are probably missing to judge this claim. If the bible encompasses everything what was known and understood back THEN about creation; history; genealogy; theology; morality and law; then you would hope and expect it to contain all prior knowledge known to humanity at the time of its writing.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Bible MythsBy Gerald PrazakBy and large quite interesting; but in at least one spot inaccurate.On Pg 210; the author states the Israelites sang "the Song of Moses" which is a recap of the destruction of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. He further states that the Hebrews only sang of the drowning of the soldiers; "In it there is no mention of the splitting of the sea." Then he uses Exodus 15:7 to prove the point; but he didn't read further. In Exodus 15:8 "And with a blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together; the floods stood upright as an heap and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea."That sounds like a parting of the water to me. Now I don't believe it happened that way either; but if you want to make a point; don't stop reading the text you are quoting; but only as far as you want.Otherwise very illuminating and a fun read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Albert SilverGreat book.
