Rating: 
Summary: Could Illiteracy Be a Blessing?
Review: After enduring the torture of reading The Confederacy's Last Hurrah, for the first time in my life I think that illiterate people might actually have an advantage over the rest of us.Elsewhere among these reviews are those who praise Sword's book for it's "insight" and "convincing argument" that Confederate commander Gen. John Bell Hood was a madman, despised by his subordinates, who had ascended to command through a combination of luck, political posturing, and backstabbing his previous superior, Gen. Joseph Johnston. Like the children of Hamelin being led by the Pied Piper, readers of Sword's shameful work, enthralled by his fluent and expressive writing, gulp Sword's red cool-ade of errors, omissions, and lies. Sword's stylish and cunning writing is as hypnotic as Mein Kampf and the Turner Diaries, yet equally disgraceful. F. Lee Bailey and Johnie Cochrane could learn a few things from Sword's prowess at presenting factual and presentational illusions. Sword included quotes from every soldier who hated Hood while concealing the quotes of all who loved him, thereby causing the reader to infer that all the soldiers hated Hood. Sword likewise gives the podium of his pages to all of the Confederate generals who dissaproved of Hood's tactics and decisions, while concealing the numerous commanders who praised Hood's character and generalship, both before and during the ill-fated Tennessee Campaign. Sword attacks Hood's personal character on every conceivable level. Again, Sword's modus operendi is to reveal and conceal. Indicting Hood for betraying Joseph Johnston during the Dalton to Atlanta retreat, Sword manifests Hood's letters to Richmond authorities that criticized Johnston's tactics. However Sword chooses to secrete from the readers the letters of many other Johnston subordinates who were likewise distressed at Johnston's strategy, or lack thereof. Sword victimizes his more gullible readers by leading them to believe that Hood was Johnston's only subordinate who was critical of his tactics, and that Hood must have been posturing to replace Johnston. Sword disgracefully accuses Hood of murder-literally and figuratively-by asserting that Hood, in a fit of incoherent rage, intentionally ordered his army to it's certain destruction at Franklin. While revealing witnesses who described Hood as angry, Sword nonetheless conceals from the readers the firsthand accounts of multiple witnesses who described Hood as contemplative and tranquil while pondering his decision to attack. To make a convincing argument against Hood, Sword merely silences Confederate presidents, cabinet secretaries, governors, generals, soldiers and civilians. The only qualification of credibility that a source requires in Sword's book is that he must criticize General John Bell Hood.
Sword's book sets historical scholarship and journalistic integrity back a thousand years.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Buy A Used Car From Wiley Sword
Review: After reading other titles of the Franklin-Nasville Campaign, I have to conclude that Sword's account is the best one out there! Whether describing intense battle scenes, poignant anecdotes of the major characters, conditions of both armies, or political posturing, Sword's account is an absorbing read. Some of the more important points Sword covers include: 1. The hopeless attack and resultant carnage at Franklin.
2. Anger of Confederate generals and typical soldier directed towards Hood.
3. The supposed political posturing Hood took to gain the army commander position.
4. The tense relationship between U.S. Grant and George Thomas.
5. The political situation in the North and South at the time of the campaign.
6. The South's state of desperation and the North's anxiety over bringing the war to a close.
7. The descriptive account of the successful Northern attack on the thinly-manned Southern defenses at the Battle of Nashville. Whatever your opinion of Hood, no one can deny that Sword has started an intense debate over Hood's capabilities. The author's points will challenge the reader to carefully think and evaluate Hood's capabilities (or lack of thereof) and why the South appointed him army commander in the first place. Particularly poignant was the author's description of Confederate General Patrick Cleburne, one of my most favorite Civil War figures. One wonders what was going through Hood's mind when he ordered the suicidal attack that resulted in the deaths of Cleburne, 5 other Confederate generals, and almost 2,000 Confederate officers and men. The main complaint I had with the book was the lack of maps. The maps in the book were excellent but could have been more numerous. Unfortunately, I have noticed this weakness in several Civil War studies. Having more maps helps the reader to better visualize the various troop movements during a battle. That aside, I highly recommend Sword's title as the definitive study of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign!
Rating: 
Summary: This Sword wields an axe!
Review: As I mature in my reading of the American Civil War, I've come to realize that many historians have an agenda of sorts - a bone to pick, a flag to wave, an axe to grind. Mr. Sword apparently has it "in" for General John Bell Hood. Indeed, this is a 500+ page "editorial" that blasts "Sam" Hood from top to bottom. Certainly, Genl. Hood's performance during his tenure as the leader of the Army of Tennessee displays a litany of "how not to lead" troops, but Mr Sword, I find, rarely throws any credit at John Bell Hood's feet. Author Sword obviously feels Hood never made a correct military move in his life. His innuendo of Hood's command being marred by use of pain-killing agents I also found unfair and unsubstantiated. Despite the obvious bias, I found the military aspects of the outlined campaigns quite well done.
Just take those slings and arrows tossed Hood's way with a grain of salt. The paperback edition offers large print and many helpful maps.
Rating:
Summary: Wiley Sword or Michael Moore?
Review: If you liked Michael Moore's farcical mock-u-mentary brainwasher "Farenheit 911" you'll love "The Confederacy's Last Hurrah." What the sleezy Moore does to George Bush, Sword attempts to do to rebel General John Bell Hood. Slash, spin and lie seems to be the M.O. of both of these unscrupulous opportunists. Save your time and money and avoid both of these con men.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't give a hoot for Sam Hood
Review: One of the better books written about Hood's last offensive into Tennessee, I found the book to be well written, easy to read and nicely research. The author proves to be fair and unbias in his outlook, he justly points out the errors made and personalities of the men and commanders were brought forth with justice. From reading the past reviews, I found that people who tended to favor the southern views, found the book to be objectionable. They don't seem to like the way General John B. Hood was written up. For the rest of the world, General Hood was an utter failure who was probably one of those many generals in Civil War, who was promoted into total incompetency. The southern version of Burnside!! The book make this pretty clear to any reader. Any American who read this book, should read it as an American, not like some neo-Confederate die-hard who still think that Braxton Braggs was a military genius, just like Hood!!!
Rating:
Summary: Not Afraid To Show His Slant
Review: One of the great "myths" is that a good history book is written from an "objective" point of view. In truth, this is simply not possible. Every author approaches the subject with a certain degree of bias and a certain "agenda" that they wish to push. Sword, unlike some other authors, does not seek to hide his "bias", but rather sets out his clear (and frankly rather convincing) case that Sam Hood's generalship was poor. Within this setting, he provides detail about some of the more important, but again forgotten, battles of the Civil War and sheds light on some of the more important, but again forgotten, figures such as Pat Cleburne. All in all a superb book and well worthy of the prizes that it has won and the accolades that it has received.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable and infomative read
Review: So far I've read this book twice. Usually, over the course of a year or so after aquiring a good book I read it 5 times. This is such a book. I found Mr Swords handling of General Hood to very even handed. In fact it could be said that he was at times looking for excuses for the General. In every war, expecially in the beginning it's been said the Generals are a war behind. As the war progresses some of these Generals adapt, the others are usually weeded out. Not so with Hood. He wanted to fight in the Napoleonic tradition and this was made obsolete with the advancement of weapons. With this book, I got great insite into the battle of Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville. Not to mention I was surprised to note that a good friends G.G. Grandfather was with the 9th Texas cavalry, that gets a one line mention in the book. I enjoyed this read, I'm sure you will.
Rating: 
Summary: Style Over Scholarship
Review: The Confederacy's Last Hurrah is a well organized and efficiently presented work by the talented Civil War author Wiley Sword. Sword skillfully explains the cat and mouse maneuvers and tactics of the army commanders, and seemingly places the readers in the ranks of the men who fought the battles. Where Sword is woefully incomplete is in offering the readers a fair and balanced assessment of the motives, and decisions of Confederate Commander John Bell Hood. The Confederacy was losing the war, and President Davis turned to the ultra-aggresive Hood in a last ditch effort at victory. Hood's almost universal popularity among the southern public would hopefully inspire public will, and victory in Tennessee would generate much needed enlistments in the depleted Confederate armies, while cutting off Sherman's supplies and communications. Sword portrays Hood's heroic reputation as ill gotten and attributes his many early military successes to simple luck. After the decisive failure of the Tennessee Campaign Hood had many supporters and sympathizers including Davis, Tennessee Governor Harris, and P.G.T. Beauregard, all of whom are given brief, if any, mention by Sword. Hood, as with all commanders, was despised by some of his troops, but he was also loved and respected by others. Eloquent post-war testimonies of affection and sympathy for Hood by noted veterans such as Private Sam Watkins (author of "Company Aytch") are curiously omitted by Sword. Hood's own post-war assertions are mostly disregarded by Sword. As a collateral descendent of John Bell Hood, I was a bit bewildered by some of Sword's characterizations of Hood's home and school years, which are often inconsistent with established family history. Sword's propensity to place an unflattering spin on Hood is demonstarted in his characterization of Hood as a discipline problem at West Point when in fact his 374 demerits over four years were about average. Although John Bell Hood's decisions at Franklin and Nashville deserve scrutiny, Sword seems to have a prejudicial opinion of all things related to Hood, and in this otherwise excellent book, he shortchanges the reader by essentially censoring Hood and his supporters.
Rating:
Summary: Beware the fury of Lost Causers
Review: The Confederacy's Last Hurrah is an outstanding book that combines first rate research with a novelist's eye for vivid recreation of the brutal chaos that is battle. Sword's talent also shines in breathing life into the cast of characters involved, from the Generals to the common soldier.
This book seems to strike a nerve with those who only see the war through the romance-tinted glasses of the "Lost Cause". They blast Sword for his unapologetic scorn for Hood's leadership of his army, and seem to refuse to admit even the obvious - that Hood was advanced in rank beyond his capabilities. That Hood was a brave and gallant soldier and an outstanding fighter leading a brigade is without question. That he lacked the vision or intelligence to effectively lead an army would seem to be equally beyond question to any fair observer.
What those attacking Sword for his treatment of Hood overlook is that the target of his disgust is not just Hood, who intrigued for a job beyond his ken, but Bragg and Davis, who promoted him while repeatedly snubbing the most brilliant general in the Army of Tennessee, Patrick Cleburne. Cleburne, called by Davis the Stonewall of the West, was never the less passed by for promotion four times after he had dared to suggest a plan for saving the Confederacy by freeing and enlisting slaves. The implied question of The Confederacy's Last Hurrah is how might things have been different had those in charge been less obtuse, and Cleburne's talents were put to use for his cause commanding the army, while Hood served as he served best, leading a brigade? It is clear that Sword feels that the senseless slaughter that was the battle of Franklin, and the virtual destruction of the Army of the Tennessee at the battle of Nashville happened because of the pride, vanity, and blindness of the Southern leadership who promoted the brave but wooden Hood over the brilliant Cleburne.
Unless you become enraged when someone calls the conflict the Civil War instead of the War of Northern Aggression, you will find this book thrilling and informative
Rating:
Summary: Vivid Account of The Battle of Franklin
Review: Whether you agree with Mr. Sword's assesment of General Hood or not, he is for the most part on the mark. Franklin was a useless battle that ranks with Cold Harbor, the crator and the third day at Gettyburg as meaningless slaughter. A more balanced, but less vivid account of Franklin is offered in "Five Tragic Hours" by James Lee McDonough. Read them both.
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