In a last desperate attempt to force Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's army
out of Georgia, Gen. John Bell Hood led the Army of Tennessee north toward
Nashville in November 1864. Although he suffered terrible losses at Franklin
on November 30, he continued toward Nashville. By the next day, the various
elements of Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas's army had reached Nashville. Hood
reached the outskirts of Nashville on December 2, occupied positions on a line
of hills parallel to those of the Union and began erecting fieldworks. Union
Army Engineer, Brig. Gen. James St. Clair Morton, had overseen the
construction of sophisticated fortifications at Nashville in 1862-63,
strengthened by others, which would soon see use. From the 1st through the
14th, Thomas made preparations for the Battle of Nashville in which he
intended to destroy Hood's army. On the night of December 14, Thomas informed
Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck, acting as Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's chief of
staff, that he would attack the next day. Thomas planned to strike both of
Hood's flanks. Before daylight on the 15th, the first of the Union troops, led
by Maj. Gen. James Steedman, set out to hit the Confederate right. The attack
was made and the Union forces held down one Rebel corps there for the rest of
the day. Attack on the Confederate left did not begin until after noon when a
charge commenced on Montgomery Hill. With this classic charge's success,
attacks on other parts of the Confederate left commenced, all eventually
successful. By this time it was dark and fighting stopped for the day.
Although battered and with a much smaller battle line, Gen. Hood was still
confident. He established a main line of resistance along the base of a ridge
about two miles south of the former location, throwing up new works and
fortifying Shy's and Overton's hills on their flanks. The IV Army Corps
marched out to within 250 yards, in some places, of the Confederate's new line
and began constructing fieldworks. During the rest of the morning, other Union
troops moved out toward the new Confederate line and took up positions
opposite it. The Union attack began against Hood's strong right flank on
Overton's Hill. The same brigade that had taken Montgomery Hill the day before
received the nod for the charge up Overton's Hill. This charge, although
gallantly conducted, failed, but other troops (Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith's
"Israelites" ) successfully assaulted Shy's Hill in their fronts. Seeing the
success along the line, other Union troops charged up Overton's Hill and took
it. Hood's army fled. Thomas had left one escape route open but the Union army
set off in pursuit. For ten days, the pursuit continued until the beaten and
battered Army of Tennessee recrossed the Tennessee River. Hood's army was
stalled at Columbia, beaten at Franklin, and routed at Nashville. Hood
retreated to Tupelo and resigned his command.