The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-12
Gen. Hoods Strategy Vindicated

New Orleans Democrat
Had the life of Gen. Hood been spared
a few months longer, the task upon which
which he had been long engaged Of vim
dicating his military reputation from the
only criticism ever made upon it, would
have been discharged by himself, in his
own frank and manly style, and with
that exactness and fidelity that has been
his characteristic through his whole ca
reer.
That criticism imputed to him des-
perate rashness and impetuosity, false
estimate of the opposing forces, and a
lack of prudence and calculation and
method in his plans of assaults and de-
fenses. 1t has always appeared to US,
with some knowledge of the circumstan-
stances, of Gen. Hoods movements, that
this criticism was unjust, and that his
strategy was the only one by which the
Confederates, under the peculiar cir
cumstances, could win effective victories
and substantial results. A friend fur
nishes us with a confirmation Of this
opinion in an extract from speech de-
livered by Montgomery Blair, some years
ago at the Virginia Springs wherein he
refers to the two occasions in the war,
where the Confederates approached
nearest to decisive victories and when
the Cabinet, of which Blair was mem
Der, experienced the greatest alarm for
the cause of the Union.
This admission by Mr.. Blair is his
torically so important, and bears such
high testimony in vindication of the
strategy and vigor of our late lamented
chieftain that we have deemed it appro-
pirate to reproduce it in our columns:
He said it was twice in the power of
our Southern commanders to have
achieved great victories.
At Shiloh (they call it Pittsburg's
Landing), great fight was won, but the
fruits thrown away. When the Confed-
crate forces halted, the Federals were
ready to surrender. Thirty minutes more
of active firing and pushing would have
ended in the capture Of Grant and his
command. Half Of his troops had al
ready thrown down their arms and were
sheltering themselves under the river
banks. The gun-boats were firing, but
their shot passed over the Confederates.
The Bluffs along the river required too
high elevation of the cannon. He had
heard that the shells from the boats
bursted among the high officers in the
rear of the Confederate army, and led
them to think their soldiers were suftr-
ing severely in their approach by the
river, and ordered halt.
He mentioned sally from Atlanta by
Hood, killing Gen. Mcpherson, one of
tie most talented officers of the Federal
army The death of this great soldier,
and the impetuous and unchecked ad-
vance of Hood threatened the United
States forces with destruction. Sherman
and Ills generals were aware of the crisis
and not hopeful of happy issue. He
weakened his line at other points, and
crowded Hood with fresh troops till his
terrible advance was slackcned and
stopped.
Ii half the enterprise exhibited by
Hood had been sh wn by his subordi-
nates the ranks of the Federals, weak
ened by the men sent to oppose the vic
torious onset of the Confederate General
in-Chief, would have been broken through
and Sherman put to fight, or collapsed
into a surrender. Mr.. Blair said his
brother, Gen. Frank Blair, drew for him
the battlefield, and assured him that the
movement of Hood would be rated,
among military men, as probably the
most brilliant of the war, and that the
escape Of the Union army from ruin was
owing more to the supineness in some
Southern officers, than from any skill in
the Federal generals.