Thomas J. Wood

Thomas J. Wood, Kentuckian, graduated fifth in his West Point class in 1846 and joined the staff of General Zachary Taylor.
The Mexican War was just beginning and Wood fought in several battles after which he served under General Winfield Scott in Mexico City. In 1861, Wood became a brigadier general of volunteers and began his Civil War service with the Army of the Cumberland, with whom he fought in every campaign and most of its major battles. Wood has never before been the subject of a full length biography but is well known for a notorious lapse of judgment resulting in a Confederate breakthrough at Chickamauga that shattered the Union right flank and threatened the survival of the Army of the Cumberland. It is a moment in the war still argued about. Wood learned from his mistake, became a better general from that time on (notably at Missionary Ridge and Nashville), and redeemed himself in the eyes of his fellow officers and his civilian superiors.

Dan Lee has degrees in history from Murray State University and Western Kentucky University. He lives in Hardin County, Kentucky.

Dan Lee
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 283
Bibliographic Info: 8 photos, 2 maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7130-0
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9290-9
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Introduction 1

 1. The Making of a Professional 5

 2. Mexico 16

 3. The Crisis 37

 4. From Camp Nevin to Nashville 47

 5. Shiloh and Corinth 55

 6. The North Alabama Campaign 64

 7. The Contest for Kentucky 74

 8. Murfreesboro 90

 9. Winter Quarters at Murfreesboro 102

10. Tullahoma and Beyond 115

11. Chickamauga: Along La Fayette Road 129

12. Chickamauga: The Day of Days 138

13. Chattanooga 152

14. East Tennessee 171

15. The Atlanta Campaign 183

16. Nashville 201

17. War’s End 219

18. Post-War Duty 231

19. Dayton 241

Appendix. Wood in Command: An Organizational Chart 248

Notes 251

Select Bibliography 261

Index 267

“Excellently-written…. Highly recommended”—North & South; “well-written, thoroughly researched”—Civil War News; “an excellent book about a rather marginalized figure in the war, which cast fresh light on the events at Chickamauga”—The NYMAS Review.