Decisions at Franklin - (Command Decisions in America's Civil War) by Andrew S Bledsoe (Paperback)

About the Book

"The Battle of Franklin pitted beleaguered Confederate general John Bell Hood against US general John Schofield and his Army of the Ohio. The Army of Tennessee had nearly twenty thousand men when they began assaulting the US's fortified positions around Franklin. While Hood forced the Army of the Ohio to retreat to Nashville, his losses were considerable, and he would face a fortified Army of the Ohio yet again. Hood's defeat in the subsequent battle of Nashville shrunk the Army of Tennessee to less than ten thousand men and effectively neutralized the army for the remainder of the Civil War. Intended for the Command Decisions in America's Civil War series, this book examines the decisions that shaped the way the Battle of Franklin unfolded. Rather than offering a history of the battle, Bledsoe focuses on the critical decisions, those decisions that had a major impact on both Federal and Confederate forces in shaping the progression of the battle as we know it today"--

Book Synopsis

The Battle of Franklin pitted beleaguered Confederate general John Bell Hood against Union general John Schofield and his Army of the Ohio. The Army of Tennessee had nearly twenty thousand men when it began assaulting the Union's fortified positions around Franklin. While Hood forced the Army of Ohio to retreat to Nashville, his losses were considerable, and he would face a fortified Army of the Ohio yet again. Hood's defeat in the subsequent battle of Nashville shrunk the Army of Tennessee to fewer than ten thousand men and effectively neutralized the army for the remainder of the Civil War.

Decisions at Franklin explores the critical decisions made by Confederate and Union commanders during the battle and how these decisions shaped its outcome. Rather than offering a history of the battle, Andrew Bledsoe hones in on a sequence of critical decisions made by commanders on both sides of the contest to provide a blueprint of the Battle of Franklin at its tactical core. Identifying and exploring the critical decisions in this way allows students of the battle to progress from a knowledge of what happened to a deep understanding of why events
happened.

Complete with maps and a driving tour, Decisions at Franklin is an indispensable primer, and readers looking for a concise introduction to the battle can tour this sacred ground--or read about it at their leisure--with key insights into the campaign and a greater understanding of the Civil War itself.

Decisions at Franklin is the fifteenth in a series of books that will explore the critical decisions of major campaigns and battles of the Civil War.

Review Quotes

"Decisions at Franklin transcends a study of battle into a study of human agency."--Madelaine Setiawan (Texas A&M University) "H-Net"

"Decisions at Franklin transcends a study of battle into a study of human agency."
- H-Net

About the Author

ANDREW S. BLEDSOE is an associate professor at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. He is the author of Citizen-Officers: The Union and Confederate Volunteer Junior Officer Corps in the American Civil War and coeditor, with Andrew F. Lang, of Upon the Fields of Battle: Essays on the Military History of the American Civil War