McDonough provides an engaging narative of the battle. He tells of the friction between Bragg and his generals and how it affected Confederate efforts on the battlefield. He gives a detailed and thorough analysis of the battle for Missionary Ridge, explaining why the Union's assault was successful when Pickett's Charge at Gettysburgh, a similar assault, was not.

There are many maps - more than I expected in a book this length. However, in my opinion, there cannot be too many maps.

James Lee McDonough comes through with flying colors. Chattanooga -- A Death Grip on the Confederacy depicts the Union and Confederate struggle for the strategic city in the fall of 1863. McDonough begins his book with the climax of the Battle of Chickamauga Creek, a Union defeat that leads to a retreat to Chattanooga and the removal of General Rosecrans. The next chapters depict the Union and Confederte operations, including the arrival of Generals Grant and Sherman for the North and the bickering within the Confederate camp.

McDonough's depiction of the troop movements and battles are insightful and supported with several maps. The details of the battle are drawn from diaries and official records of both Union and Confederate sources. It is a plus that McDonough manages to keep a neutral tone throughout the book, analyzing both the reasons for Union success and Confederate failure.

Strategy and tactics are not the only point McDonough is trying to make. He does and excellent job of bringing to life the feelings and emotions of some of the common soldiers involved on both sides. The narrative flows well and is entertaining. Chattanooga is an easy read for both the scholar and the layman.

Hood's almost superhuman accomplishments as a brigade and division commander under Lee and Jackson, and his short but successful tenure as a corps commander at Chickamauga made him Jefferson Davis' candidate to save the fading fortunes of the Confederacy in late 1864. Replacing the tentative
Joe Johnston as commander of the Army of Tennessee, Hood launched several bold attacks on Sherman in an unsuccessful attempt to save Atlanta.

Burdened by disloyal and incompetent subordinates, and troops unaccustomed to offensive warfare, Hood nevertheless embarked on an ambitious invasion of Tennessee, in a last ditch effort to destroy Sherman's supply lines, and provide relief for R. E. Lee's exhausted Army of Northern Virginia. At Franklin, with the Federal army fleeing to the safety of Nashville, and having absolutely no other realistic alternative, Hood ordered a frontal
attack. The assault failed, with the Confederates suffering frightfully high casualties.

Authors McDonough and Connelly deny readers the mountain of historical record that clearly and concisely details the quite rational and logical reasons for the attack. They mislead readers with overt mischaracterization of historical facts, and present opinions that are not supported by facts or statistics.

It is bad enough when readers invest time in nonfiction literature and gain no knowledge, it is even worse when readers are provided inaccurate information and propaganda that results in incorrect knowledge. Reading this work will result in an inaccurate understanding of the Battle of Franklin, and General John Bell Hood.

This book, awash in prejudice and misrepresentation, should be avoided!

Telegram of today received. I regret the fact stated. It is a bad time to release the commander of an army situated as that of Tennessee.We may lose Atlanta and the army too.

Hood is a bold fighter.
I am doubtful as to other qualities necessary