On Tuesday, July 12, 1864, President Jefferson Davis wrote General Robert E. Lee that Joseph Johnston “has failed and there are strong indications that he will abandon Atlanta…It seems necessary to relieve him at once. Who should succeed him? What think you of Hood for the position?” Having clearly stated his intention to replace Johnston, the following day Davis informed Lee that he had sent General Braxton Bragg to Atlanta to investigate what he believed to be Johnston’s failure to stop Sherman’s advance. Davis wrote, “It is a sad alternative, but the case seems hopeless in present hands…The means are surely adequate if properly employed, especially the cavalry is amply.” Davis’ candid words clearly condemned Joseph Johnston as the primary reason why Sherman continued to advance on Atlanta.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.