Product Description

Shrouds of Glory is Winston Groom's riveting account of General John Bell Hood's decisive actions in the western theater of operations during the final moments of the Civil War. Taking us on a journey through the ravaged Confederacy to the once-vibrant city of Nashville - where General Hood makes a last, futile attempt to preserve the Confederacy - Shrouds of Glory brings the reader into the general's tent, where Grant, Sherman, Lee, and others plot their often unorthodox strategies for winning the war. Groom paints vivid portraits of Hood and his nemeses, revealing the character, faults, emotions, and most of all the doubts that molded the course of conflict.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #365511 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Focusing on the Confederate side, Groom traces their last offensive campaign to push the Union forces out of the South.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Arguably the most interesting campaign of the Civil War is Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood's quixotic invasion of Tennessee in the war's final months. The story is retold here by Groom, author of Forrest Gump (LJ 3/1/86) and coauthor with Duncan Spencer of Conversations with the Enemy: The Story of PFC Robert Garwood (LJ 7/83). Despite the promising conjunction of author and subject, the product is a bit disappointing. The first half is more a collective biography of the commanders than a narrative of the campaign; since they were mostly in the western theater throughout the war, it reads like a fast-forward history of those events. When the narrative finally begins, Groom is strongest on command decisions, particularly on the Confederate side. The book of choice on this subject remains Wiley Sword's Embrace an Angry Wind: The Confederacy's Last Hurrah (LJ 1/92).?Fritz Buckallew, Univ. of Central Oklahoma Lib., Edmond
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Groom is the author of Forrest Gump, which was originally published in 1986 and then recently zoomed up the best-seller lists in the wake of the movie version's great success. In light of that circumstance, many people are going to be seeking his latest work. But--caveat emptor--not all who enjoyed that movie will enjoy this book. It will appeal to a select group: those who are avid readers of military history. Groom spent four years in research, prompted by personal interest: his great-grandfather's engagement as a soldier in the episode he chronicles here, the Confederacy's "last great offensive." The months between the Battle of Atlanta in July 1864 and the Battle of Nashville in December of that year were witness to the South's final attempt to throw off inexorable strangulation by the North. (This unsuccessful campaign was followed by the Union's coup de gr{ƒ}ace, delivered by Grant shortly afterward in Virginia.) There's lots of battlefield maneuvering of this unit and that brigade, a level of detail that definitely calls for keen readership interest, but the you-are-there atmosphere is faultless. Although some Forrest Gump fans might be disappointed, ardent history buffs most certainly won't be. Brad Hooper

Customer Reviews

History Comes To Life
As a high school history teacher and Civil War Buff, I am always looking for ways to bring the deeds and accomplishments of history to life for an audience with open hostility for the topic. This book accomplishes this next-to-impossible task. Groom writes with the prose of a novelist (no surprise), the research of a scholar (surprise)and a genuine love for and interest in the subject matter. One of the most fascinating non-fiction books I have even read, complete with excellent maps and interesting photographs.

Excellent history about later civil war battles.
I would have rated this book much higher had it not been for two reasons: 1. It took almost half the book for it to get really engrossing and 2. At times I had the feeling, especially in the first half, that the author favored the South and so was biased in some of his reporting. However, once the story got to the Battle of Franklin the narrative had a quick flow to it and was so compelling I could not put it down. Some of the gruesome depiction of war dead is so vivid that even a week later it sticks in my mind. I also question some of Mr. Groom's beliefs about what happened. At one point he makes a statement that leads you to believe that 1. the war was a big mistake and 2. the North was the aggressor. The statement is that "the war, by far the most destructive to human life of all America's wars, produced 600,000 casualties while freeing 3 million slaves." If Mr. Groom thinks the sole reason for the war was to free the slaves and not to preserve the union he is sadly mistaken. I think intellectually he knows better, but that old bias seems to constantly get the better of him. Still I would call this one of the great books about the war, in spite of the criticisms, because when all is said and done, it is still a great read. It ranks up there with books like "The Killer Angels."

Hood's last hurrah - Gen. George Thomas's vindication
Shrouds of Glory does an efficent job of laying out John Bell Hood's last hurrah at a little known, but crucial battle of the Civil War. What may not be so well known is that the Battle of Nashville in December of 1864 was also the vindication of the Union General George "Pap" Thomas, (who by the way was originally from Virginia).

Linclon & Grant had their doubts about Thomas's waiting game at Nashville. The orders to relieve him of command were on the the way when Thomas unleashed the Union attack and the resulting disaster to the Confederate Army of Tennesee vindicated his patience. Sherman said the Battle of Nashville was the only battle of the Civil War where a whole army ceased to exist after the fight.

If Hood was desperate to make a break through, and he was, as Groom has laid out. Thomas was just as determined to close the door once and for all. I appreciated how this book laid out the events leading up to that battle.

Just as a side note, one of the Union regiments at Nashville was the Ohio 182nd Infantry. In that regiment was my great-grandfather, Sgt. George Debolt Newcomer.