The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 107, July 2003 - April, 2004 Page: 335

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own words with the necessity of making minor grammatical or spelling changes
to ensure readability. Where gaps exist in Hill's diary, the editors have judicious-
ly provided a narrative for the lost time period. The annotation, while not mini-
mal, thankfully appears in endnotes that do not distract from the source text.
Moreover, although some historians have criticized edited journals that exclude
contemporaneous letters or other potentially relevant material, this diary fits the
accepted documentary editing criteria for a stand-alone edition (see Mary-Jo
Kline, A Guide to Documentary Editing, Johns Hopkins, 1987/1998, pp. 89-90). It
is a thorough account of Hill's wartime experiences and needs no embellish-
ment from the "politically dangerous articles" he published in American newspa-
pers during the war (p. xi). In fact, including these editorials would have
disrupted the narrative. Overall, this diary will appeal to those interested not on-
ly in the Mexican War and the U.S. army of the 1840s, but also in the politics
and prejudices of that period.
Papers of George Washzngton, University of Virginia John C. Pinheiro
The Finishing Stroke: Texans in the 1864 Tennessee Campaign. John R. Lundberg.
(Abilene: McWhiney Foundation Press, 2002. Pp. 175. Foreword, acknowl-
edgments, introduction, notes, bibliography, index. ISBN 1-893 14-33-3.
$24.95, cloth.)
The volume opens with an account of the Confederate Army of Tennessee as
it regrouped in September 1864, after losing Atlanta to the Union army under
William T. Sherman. Primary attention is given to the background of Hiram
Granbury's Texas infantry brigade. The soldiers at that point expressed mixed
views about the future of the war.
Confederate general John B. Hood moved to break the Union supply line for
Sherman's army in October. Here the author introduces Matthew Ector's Texas
infantry brigade in French's division that fought to seize Allatoona, Georgia, on
the Atlanta to Chattanooga railroad. After gaining ground despite heavy losses,
French withdrew because of information about approaching Federal reinforce-
ments. Patrick Cleburne's division, including Granbury's brigade, captured Dal-
ton, Georgia, and ripped up railway track. Then Hood moved through Alabama
toward Tennessee to draw Sherman out of Georgia. Instead Sherman sent
troops under George Thomas to Tennessee while he marched to the sea in
Georgia. The Texas artillery battery of James Douglas is discussed, as it assumed
a larger role when the Confederates entered Tennessee in mid November with
hopes of one final success.
The author then introduces the Texas brigade of Lawrence Sullivan Ross as
part of the Confederate cavalry. Hood sought to bypass the Union troops in
Columbia and block their retreat at Spring Hill on November 29. Conflicting or-
ders and surprising Federal movements confused the Confederates who never
controlled the road as Union troops marched by in the night. A frustrated Hood
ordered a frontal attack on entrenched Federals the next day at Franklin. The
courageous but unsuccessful charge cost heavy losses, over 40 percent in Gran-
bury's brigade, with many officers killed, including Cleburne and Granbury.
Confederate morale sagged.

2003

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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 107, July 2003 - April, 2004, periodical, 2004; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101224/m1/379/ocr/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.

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