The Cassville Affairs: Johnston, Hood, and the Failed Confederate Strategy in the Atlanta Campaign, 19 May 1864

Civil War historians have remained baffled over the Cassville controversies for the past 150 plus years. There are two versions of events: Confederate commanding General Joseph E. Johnston's story, and Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's story. But Federal General William T. Sherman had other plans, and it was Confederates who would be "surprised" instead. THE CASSVILLE AFFAIRS looks at two critical decisions the Confederate leadership faced: first, whether to attack a portion of the Federal army in the morning; and second, once the morning attack was no longer feasible, whether to stay and fight the next day. Both decisions were the responsibility of Johnston, and both decisions involved the advice and assistance by Hood. Before the war even concluded, Johnston and Hood began finger-pointing as they wrote their own versions of what happened. This book promises to change our understanding of the events surrounding the Cassville controversies and close the gap in its history. Read more