They Came Only to Die: The Battle of Nashville

Emerging Civil War's Sean Michael Chick talks about the December 1864 battle of Nashville, Tennessee, and his forthcoming Emerging Civil War Series book "They Came Only to Die."

[@texmexfla]

Brilliant set of questions and answers! The personal relationships in the Union command was especially intriguing.

[@johnresto1603]

Thank you for having this. This is one of my favorite battles of the war. Thomas doesn't get credit that he deserves. He is one of the best union generals.

[@williamashbless7904]

Great talk. I never knew Thomas’s other nickname. Thomas was a serious talent. He had a habit of routing Confederate Armies. He was slow, but very methodical. He was the opposite of Patton’s “Better to have a good plan now, than a perfect plan tomorrow.” Thomas’s ‘I trained myself not to feel’ comment was in regards to someone asking him how he dealt with his entire family and friends disowning him when chose his country over his home state. When Hood took over the Army of the Tennessee, after Atlanta, Sherman looked up a former classmate of Hood’s from West Point and asked what he thought of Hood’s temperament. “I once saw him bet $2500 in a poker game with nothing in his hand but a pair of twos.” Three days after Hood assumed command, he attacked at Peachtree Creek.

[@emergingcivilwar8965]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@necessarytrouble]

I could listen to this man for hours. Fantastic interview!

[@jacobmasters438]

Now that 2022 is nearly over. I look forward to 2023 and the fantastic material Emerging Civil War will undoubtedly produce. Chris Mackowski is a fantastic historian who will outwork his mortal being. I can think of no other historian who is as busy as he is with providing the public with historical reference.

[@emergingcivilwar8965]

From Chris: "Thanks for the kind words! When you're doing what you love, it never feels like work."

[@tumbleweed2240]

Just finishing Grant’s Left Hook! Marvelous

[@Abdus_VGC]

John Schofield was the teammates you didn't hope to be on your side, someone who is going to fuck you up regardless

[@emergingcivilwar8965]

Ha! Great way to put it.

[@arts2412]

Thank you, really interesting discussion.

[@lifelinesoutreach]

Glad my great grandfather did not die. I would not exist.

[@unbreakable7633]

Happy to see a new history of the Battle of Nashville. Horn's The Decisive Battle of Nashville is a very short account and written some decades ago. I'll look for this at the bookstore. I grew up on this battlefield and Franklin's too, found many minie balls and relics in the area. My low opinion of Hood as an army commander (as opposed to being a good division commander) originates with what he did at Atlanta. Johnson was the best commander the Army of Tennessee had but commanded only a few months.

[@matthewcorey2338]

My GGG Uncle Emanuel Herman fight on the Union left in the regular army. He was left behind on the away to Atlanta at Look Mountain because their company was so beat up and the job thery did in the battle of Nashville. Emanuel ended the war as a captain because of what he and his unit did that day in Nashville.

[@travisbayles870]

Both my great great grandfather and 3 great uncle who were in the 32nd Tennessee Infantry fought at Franklin and Nashville Hood was a poor choice to command that army

[@KevinKindSongs]

Nice analysis. Got the book. Not quite the depth of analysis I was expecting but...

[@clarkbuckner4900]

I think Savas Beatie should have done a regular book on the battle of Nashville with Lee White as the author.

[@seanchick5918]

I would like for someone to go in depth. I am tempted to after Shiloh to write about Nashville or Stones River.

[@henrygaughan3644]

Grant sat on his butt in front of of Petersburg for almost a year after the debacle of cold harbour,and yet he wants Thomas to move straight away of course he’s listening to Schofields poisioned telegrams.

[@brucetelfeyan]

I have wondered why Hood didn't bypass Nashville and raid Kentucky and try to cross the Ohio River. I'm not sure what he would have gained, but it would have force Grant to divert troops from the siege of Richmond/Petersburg.

[@seanchick5918]

Short answer: weather and logistics.

[@Revolver1701]

A confederate ancestor of mine was defeated at Nashville and after the artillery horses were killed and the guns captured his unit was sent to Fort Blakey in Mobile where he was defeated and captured. 😂

[@jonmcintosh1737]

Super funny…

[@Revolver1701]

Hood was not competent to command an army. That said, I can’t see a path to victory at that point.

[@emergingcivilwar8965]

No good options seemed to exist for Confederates by that point in the war.

[@stevedoverspike8429]

He makes that choice because "his life" is not on the line. The total disrespect for the common man is heartbreaking.

[@timfrye3586]

such a senseless campaign. If Hood had the guts to admit he was out maneuvered the pointless slaughter of Franklin and Nashville could have been avoided.

[@skymagruder5270]

I love the Federal 4th Corps but I disagree that they’re among the best corps in the Union. I’d take at least 5 probably 6 Corps as better than they

[@williamsteele1409]

Cleburne should have had been in command but the bigotry of high command knew better