The FReeper Foxhole Profiles General John Bell Hood - Aug. 30, 2003

http://ngeorgia.com/people/hood.html ^ | Sam Hood

[SAMWolf]

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God Bless America
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Lieutenant General John Bell Hood
(1831 - 1879)

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Born the son of a rural doctor in Owingsville, Kentucky, John Bell Hood was raised in the bluegrass region of central Kentucky near the town of Mt. Sterling. John Bell's love for the adventure of military life is thought to have been founded in the influence of his paternal grandfather Lucas Hood, a crusty veteran of the Indian Wars who had fought under General "Mad" Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, and his maternal grandfather James French, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Against the wishes of his father, who had urged him to pursue a medical career, John Bell employed the assistance of his uncle, U.S. Congressman Richard French, and enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West point in 1849.

Hood's four year discipline record at the academy was about average. However, in his senior year he would be reduced in rank and severely disciplined by new Superintendent Col. Robert E. Lee for accompanying a fellow cadet on an unauthorized pre-Christmas visit to nearby Benny Haven's Tavern. Accumulating 196 demerits, 4 short of expulsion at mid year, Hood would nevertheless complete his final year with no additional demerits, and ultimately graduate ranked 44th out of 52 in the class of 1853. Hood's classmate John M. Schofield [US, Army of the Ohio] and cavalry instructor George Thomas [US, Army of the Cumberland] would play major roles in Hood's fortunes in Georgia and Tennessee during the final months of the Civil War.

After receiving his commission as a brevet second lieutenant in the United States Army, Hood was assigned to duty at Fort Scott, California in February 1854. In October 1855 Hood was promoted to second lieutenant of cavalry and assigned to the newly formed elite Second Cavalry Regiment at Fort Mason, Texas, commanded by future Confederate generals Col. Albert Sydney Johnston and Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee. In a battle with Indians at Devil's River, Texas on July 20, 1857 Hood received the first of his combat wounds - his left hand was pierced by a Comanche arrow. In September 1860 he received orders to report to West Point to serve as Chief Instructor of Cavalry. However, at Hood's personal request to U. S. Adjutant General Samuel Cooper, the order was rescinded, and he remained with the Second Cavalry Regiment. On April 16, 1861, 3 days after the outbreak of the Civil War, Hood tendered his resignation from the United States Army.

Hood enlisted in the Confederate Army in Montgomery, Alabama in May 1861, receiving a commission as a lieutenant. Assigned to the Army of Northern Virginia, he received several rapid promotions, and on March 7, 1862 Hood was promoted to Brigadier General and placed in command of the renown Texas Brigade. Hood and his beloved Texans would play prominent roles in Robert E. Lee's [CS, Army of Northern Virginia] important victories at Gaines' Mill (Seven Days Battles) and Second Manassas. The Texas Brigade's heroics in Miller's Cornfield saved the Confederate left flank at Antietam in September 1862, after which Hood would be promoted to Major General by his corps commander, General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson [CS].

As a division commander under native Georgian General James Longstreet [CS], Hood was severely wounded on July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg, forever losing use of his left arm. In September, 1863, after recovering from his Gettysburg wound, Hood was assigned as part of Longstreet's Corps to Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee. He reported for duty at Ringgold, Georgia on September 18, 1863, and joined his division as they were positioning for the ensuing Battle of Chickamauga. Hood's division broke the Federal line at the Brotherton Cabin, which led to the rout of Union General William Rosecrans' army. Only the heroic rear guard actions of Hood's former West Point instructor General George Thomas saved the Union Army from destruction. During the battle Hood received his second serious wound of the war, resulting in the amputation of his right leg. He would be transported to the Clisby-Austin house in nearby Tunnel Hill for recuperation. Hood was so severely wounded that his amputated leg was sent with him so that it could be buried with the him in the result of his death.



Surviving his wound, on September 24, 1863 Hood was recommended for promotion to lieutenant general by Longstreet for his decisive role in the Confederate victory at Chickamauga. Longstreet's letter to Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General Samuel Cooper said,

"General- I respectfully recommend Major General J. B. Hood for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General, for distinguished conduct and ability in the battle of the 20th inst. General Hood handled his troops with the coolness and ability that I have rarely known by any officer, on any field"

Hood developed a close personal relationship with fellow Kentuckian, President Jefferson Davis while recovering from his Chickamauga wound in Richmond during the winter of 1863-1864. During this period Davis advised Hood of his intentions to reinforce General Joseph E. Johnston [CS] at Dalton, Georgia in the spring of 1864, and to move against the Federal army of General William T. Sherman at Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hood was offered a position as a corps commander under Johnston, and was advised by Davis that an aggressive campaign would be initiated against the Federals.

On February 4, 1864 Hood arrived in Dalton, Georgia, (History of Dalton, Georgia) and assumed a corps command in the Army of Tennessee under Johnston. At this time Johnston's Army of Tennessee was combined with Lt. General Leonidas Polk's Army of Mississippi. The combined forces were under the supreme command of Johnston, and are generally referred to as the Army of Tennessee.

However, Johnston failed to attack Sherman as ordered, and in early May of 1864 Sherman began the Atlanta Campaign. Johnston's Army of Tennessee fought defensive battles against the Federals at the approaches to Dalton, which was evacuated on May 13, and then retreated 12 miles south to Resaca, where defensive positions were erected. However, after a brief battle, Johnston again yielded to Sherman, and retreated from Resaca on May 15. Johnston assembled the Confederate forces for a battle at Cassville, but on May 20 again retreated 8 miles further south to Cartersville. The month of May 1864 ended with Sherman's forces continuing their successful march toward Atlanta at the Battle of New Hope Church on May 25, the Battle of Pickett's Mill on May 27, and the Battle of Dallas on May 28.



In June the Federal forces continued maneuvers around the northern approaches to Atlanta. Battles ensued at Kolb's Farm on June 22, and the Confederates successfully repulsed Union forces at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain on June 27. However, by this time Federal forces were within 17 miles of Atlanta, threatening the city from the west and north. Johnston had yielded almost a hundred miles of mountainous, and thus more easily defendable, territory in 60 days, while the Confederate government and high command grew more frustrated and alarmed.

In early July Braxton Bragg was sent to Atlanta by President Davis to ascertain the situation with respect to Atlanta. After several meetings with local civilian leaders and Army of Tennessee commanders, Bragg returned to Richmond and urged President Davis to replace Johnston. After seriously considering Major General William Hardee and Hood for Johnston's replacement, President Davis solicited the advise of General Robert E. Lee, who on July 12 telegrammed Davis,

"...Hood is a good fighter, very industrious on the battlefield, careless off, and I have had no opportunity of judging his action, when the whole responsibility rested upon him. I have a very high opinion of his gallantry, earnestness and zeal. General Hardee has more experience in managing an army. May God give you wisdom to decide in this momentous matter."

With the support of Bragg and various Confederate cabinet members, President Davis ultimately determined that Hood be promoted to the temporary rank of full general, and replace Johnston as commander of the Army of Tennessee. Richmond was determined to repulse Sherman, and save Atlanta. The southern populace was equally adamant about the preservation of Atlanta. The Atlanta Appeal newspaper, declaring that retreating must cease and attacks must be launched, wrote in an editorial immediately after Hood's appointment to command of the Army of Tennessee, "There is a limit to prudence. When excessive, our enemies denominate it cowardice. This war must end and the final battle be fought. Why not here, and even now?" The Augusta Constitutionalist wrote on July 20, 1864, regarding Hood's replacement of Johnston, "If it means anything it must mean this: Atlanta will not be given up without a fight."



On July 17, 1864 Johnston recieved orders that he had been relieved of command, to be replaced by General Hood. July 18th broke warm and muggy; Hood was notified that he had been promoted, and assigned command of the Army of Tennessee. Confederate Adjutant General Samuel Cooper's telegram to Hood included the directive "...be wary no less than bold."

Two days after finding out about his appointment to command of the Army of Tennessee, Hood launched the first of four major offensives designed to break Sherman's relentless and effective siege of Atlanta. In the July 20, 1864 Battle of Peachtree Creek the Confederates failed to crush Sherman's temporarily divided forces.

On July 21, 1864 Union forces moved onto Bald Hill, only two miles east of Atlanta, and launched a howitzer bombardment of the city. The Federal artillery also threatened the lone remaining Confederate rail line into Atlanta. To counter this, Hood devised a plan to attack the Federals near Decatur. The July 22, 1864 (Battle of Atlanta) attack failed to destroy the Federal force, but the artillery was withdrawn and the railroad remained open.

In the early morning hours of July 28, 1864 Hood learned that Federal forces had withdrawn from positions to the east, indicating that the threat to the Macon railroad had subsided. The Federals were observed moving to the west of Atlanta, and Hood launched another assault at Ezra Church on July 29, hoping to attack Sherman's forces before they had time to entrench. Disjointed attacks by separate Confederate corps' resulted in a decisive Union victory.

In early August Hood's cavalry killed or captured approximately two-thirds of Sherman's cavalry at Brown's Mill and Sunshine Church, south of Atlanta, and on August 6 Confederate defenders repulsed Union forces at Utoy Creek.


General Hood protests before the attack on the Devils Den

However, on August 29 an undaunted and impatient Sherman began another westerly movement to the south of Atlanta intended to cut the vital railroad. Federal forces succeeded in reaching positions only 600 yards from the Macon and Western Railroad depot at Jonesboro, 15 miles south of Atlanta. With Federal artillery then in a position to bombard the railroad facilities, Hood ordered an attack, again hoping to commence the assault before the Federals could construct defenses. As with the previous three major Confederate attacks, this one also failed, and with the railroad lifeline now severed, the fate of Atlanta was sealed.

Hoping to save his army, Hood evacuated Atlanta on September 2, 1864, retreating through Lovejoy's Station, into rural Georgia, finally camping in Palmetto. Hood would spend the early autumn of 1864 harassing Sherman's supply and communications lines in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama.

In November of 1864 Hood launched his ill-fated invasion of Tennessee, suffering decisive defeats at Franklin, Tennessee on Nov. 30 (General John Schofield [US]), and at Nashville on Dec. 16 (General George Thomas [US]). Retreating with the shattered remnants of the Army of Tennessee into northern Mississippi, Hood resigned his command on January 23, 1865, reverting back to his permanent rank of lieutenant general.

During the waning days of the Confederacy, Hood was ordered by Jefferson Davis to travel to Texas and attempt to raise an army. However, learning of the capture of Davis and the surrender of Gen. Kirby Smith in Texas, Hood surrendered to Federal authorities in Natchez, Mississippi on May 31, 1865.



After the war Hood entered the cotton brokerage and insurance businesses in New Orleans. On April 30, 1868 he married native New Orleanian, Anna Marie Hennen and over the next ten years he would father eleven children, including three sets of twins. Hood would lose all of his modest fortune during the winter of 1878-1879 due to a yellow fever epidemic that closed the New Orleans Cotton Exchange, and wiped out almost every city insurance company. Later that year, on August 30, 1879, John Bell Hood died of yellow fever within days of his wife and oldest child. His ten orphaned children, all under the age of ten, were left destitute. They would ultimately be adopted by seven different families in Louisiana, New York, Mississippi, Georgia and Kentucky.

[SAMWolf]

In the spring of 1861, the Confederate States of America was, as a rising nation, young, strong, and full of promise, conveying the impression of a bright, hopeful future.



Similarly, that year John Bell Hood, also young, strong, ambitious, and of boundless potential, began his rising career in the Confederate Army. His intense zeal, his quality of leadership, his courage and unswerving devotion to his country, promised as well, a bright, expectant future. Possessing a rare combination of skill, courage, and fortitude, like the bold nation he served, he seemed destined for greatness.

In 1862, General Hood, in similar fashion as the Confederacy, had rapidly risen in prominence and recognition. For his outstanding performance as a commander he had received numerous promotions, from 2nd Lieutenant in 1861, to Major General by the end of 1862. At the close of that year, the Confederacy had been on the verge of international political recognition, having proven itself a more than worthy opponent of the aggressive United States government. With the conclusion of 1862, the South, along with the career of General Hood, was at its high tide.

Hood's attack on the Union left at Gettysburg eventually stalled at the Devil's Den.

The summer of 1863 however, proved the decisive turning point. At Gettysburg both the Confederacy and General Hood received serious wounds. The Army of Northern Virginia, under the heretofore indomitable General Robert E. Lee, was turned back from its invasion of the North, suffering tremendous losses. It was a pivotal moment; the downward spiral had begun.

General Hood would likewise suffer a serious wound, forever losing the use of his left arm. Although, as with the South, he was far from defeated. He and his country would fight on, battered and scarred, but after Gettysburg, they would both never be the same.

Hood's Texas Brigade

In 1863, General Hood was assigned to the Army of Tennessee. At the battle of Chickamauga the Confederacy, and General Hood, would both suffer severely, although this time in victory. However, on the threshold of completely destroying the Union Army, a reluctant Confederate commander Braxton Bragg would hesitate, and the full effect of the Confederate victory would be lost. General Hood, exploiting errors in the Union command, had led his division to a rout of the enemy, but was again seriously wounded, resulting in the amputation of his right leg. Both the South and General Hood, although still not beaten, were however, further crippled.

The following year a weary, battered, yet brave Army of Tennessee, under the command of the one-armed, and one-legged General Hood, would yield Atlanta to the brutal siege of General William T. Sherman, after a courageous forty-six day resistance. Then, in the winter of 1864, on the hills overlooking Nashville, General Hood would weep at the sight of his battered army, retreating desperately from the onslaught of General George Thomas's Union attack.

HOOD'S TEXAS BRIGADE
Erected 1910 by surviving comrades and friends.

A gray granite shaft, with hand-carved quotes by President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee, and others, is topped by the bronze figure of a Confederate soldier. The monument stands as a memorial to the members of John B. Hood's Texas Brigade Army of Northern Virginia. Principal battles, during which some 4,000 soldiers in the division died defending the South throughout the Civil War, are listed on the base. The bronze figure was executed by Pompeo Coppini

In the end John Bell Hood had lost almost everything; his body, his career, his reputation, his army, and his country. What remained was his honor, and the knowledge and satisfaction that he had done his duty, and served his country and its people to the best of his ability. The young, gallant Confederate officer, and the Confederate States of America, had both risen, and fallen together.

[SAMWolf]

The Battle of Franklin
November 30, 1864

The small town of Franklin, Tennessee had been a Federal (Union) military post since the fall of Nashville in early 1862. Late in the summer of 1864, Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced commander Joseph E. Johnston with John Bell Hood. General Hood, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and known for his superb record with his "Texas Brigade," suffered from a withered arm and amputated leg. A firm believer in frontal assaults, Hood begins to formulate his "Tennessee Campaign of 1864" with the main objective to drive Sherman away from Atlanta and Robert E. Lee's forces.

Under Hood's command, The Army of Tennessee moved up through Georgia, Alabama, crossed the Tennessee River, and then entered Tennessee. November 30, 1864 had been a beautiful Indian summer day. At dawn, the Confederacy marched north from Spring Hill, Tennessee in pursuit of fleeing Federal forces. General Hood was determined to destroy the Union Army before it reached Nashville.



The Battle of Franklin has been called "the bloodiest hours of the American Civil War."

Franklin: The Valley of Death

"(Franklin) is the blackest page in the history of the War of the Lost Cause. It was the bloodiest battle of modern times in any war. It was the finishing stroke to the Independence of the Southern Confederacy. I was there. I saw it." --Sam Watkins, 1st Tennessee Infantry

Called "The Gettysburg of the West," Franklin was one of the few night battles in the Civil War. It was also one of the smallest battlefields of the war (only 2 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide). The main battle began around 4:00 pm and wound down around 9:00 pm.

The Federal (Union) Army consisted of 22,000 infantry / 13,500 cavalry

• 23rd Corps (Army of Ohio) commanded by Jacob Cox
• 4th Corps (Army of the Cumberland) commanded by David Stanley

The Federal Army had arrived in Franklin around 1:00 that morning. Major General John M. Schofield led the operation and woke up the Carter Family, commandeering their home as his headquarters. At that time, the Carter Farm consisted of 288 acres on the south edge of town bordering the Columbia Pike. Their cotton gin (pictured, left) was located 100 yards from the house where eventually the main line of Federal breastworks were constructed. The Federal line commander was Cox who supervised his army in a defensive position surrounding the southern edge of town. He used the existing breastworks built in 1863 and constructed others on the west side of Columbia Pike. About 60 feet from the Carter House, near their farm office and smokehouse, were the inner breastworks.

The Confederate Army of Tennessee consisted of 20,085 infantry / 5,000 cavalry

Three corps of infantry:

• S.D. Lee's Corps (9,700) - Clayton, Stevenson, Johnson's Divisions
• Frank Cheatham's Corps (9,300) - Cleburne, Brown, Bate's Divisions
• A.P. Stewart's Corps (8,000) - Loring, Walthall, French's Divisions

General Patrick Cleburne

S.D. Lee's Corps arrived late with only 1 division participating in the battle.) By 2:00 pm Hood had made plans for a frontal assault. By 2:30 pm a conference was held at the Harrison House. Strong objections were voiced from Hood's commanders. General Cheatham said, "I don't like the looks of this fight, as the enemy has a good position and is well fortified." Generals Cleburne and Forrest (cavalry) knew they would be flirting with disaster. But Hood would not be dissuaded. As Cleburne mounted his horse to leave, Hood gave strict orders for the assault. Cleburne responded, "We will take the works or fall in the attempt." The Army of Tennessee knew this assault on the town of Franklin would be suicidal. They bravely advanced toward the Carter House with their heads held high.

The fighting soon became brutal and fiendishly savage, with men bayoneted and clubbed to death in the Carter yard. A Confederate soldier was bayoneted on the front steps of the Carter House. Men were clubbing, clawing, punching, stabbing and choking each other. The smoke from the cannons and guns was so thick that you could not tell friend from foe.



During the five hours of fighting, the Carter Family took refuge in their basement. 23 men, women and children (many under the age of 12) were safely protected while the horrible cries of war rang out above them. The head of the family, Fountain Branch Carter, a 67-year old widower, had seen 3 of his sons fight for the Confederacy. One son, Theodrick (Tod), was serving as an aid for General T.B. Smith on the battlefield and saw his home for the first time in 3 years. Crying out, "Follow me boys, I'm almost home," Captain Tod Carter was mortally wounded and died 2 days later at the Carter House.

After the battle, like so many homes in Franklin, the parlor of the Carter House was converted into a Confederate field hospital and witnessed many surgeries and amputations.

Around midnight, the Federal Army retreated to Nashville to join the forces of General George Thomas.

The Aftermath



Federal Casualties - 2,500 men

The 23rd Corps lost 958, and the 4th Corps lost 1,368. 189 men were killed, 1,033 were wounded, 1,104 captured and 287 cavalry casualties. Only 1 Federal General was wounded (Major General David Stanley, Corps Commander).

Confederate Casualties - 7,000 men

More than 1,750 men were killed outright or died of mortal wounds, 3,800 seriously wounded and 702 captured (not including cavalry casualties). 15 out of 28 Confederate Generals were casualties. 65 field grade officers were lost. Some infantry regiments lost 64 % of their strength at Franklin. There were more men killed in the Confederate Army of Tennessee in the 5- hour battle than in the 2-day Battle of Shiloh, the 3-day Battle of Stones River, and the 7-day Campaign in Virginia for the Federal Army.

In the spring of 1866, the McGavock Family of Franklin donated 2 acres near their home, Carnton, to establish a Confederate Cemetery where 1,481 soldiers are laid to rest.

The Army of Tennessee died at Franklin on November 30, 1864.

Additional Sources:

www.dnet.net
johnbellhood.org
www.confederate-infantry.de
www.tspb.state.tx.us
www.oldgloryprints.com
www.carter-house.org

[SAMWolf]

'I have never feared but I would get justice, but expect it to be tardy. '

-- General John Bell Hood, C.S.A.

John Hood was the youngest of the full Confederate Generals, unmatched for bravery and gallantry on the battlefield, and in his prime a hero of the Southern Confederacy.

On the battlefields of 2nd Manasses, Antietam, the 7 Days Battles, Fredricksburg, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga, Hoods outstanding leadership as a division and brigade commander brought him and his men high acclaim as a major factor in each engagement.

In mid 1864 as the war was drawing near its conclusion, the military career of General Hood fell drastically into decline and ended in tragedy on the fields of Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville Tennessee, as the Army of Tennessee over which he commanded made its final grand attempt at securing independence from Union control. The repercussions of those battles fought in middle Tennessee over 130 years ago have left their mark on succeeding generations of scholars, writers, researchers, and students of the Civil War as they seek to unravel and understand the events of those momentous times. As Commanding General of the Army of Tennessee during those final days, he has ultimately borne the responsibility of its collapse and failure.

Although surrounded by controversy and criticism he yet remains symbolic of a once young, strong, Confederate South in its valiant but hopeless fight for National Independence.

[SAMWolf]

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning SamWolf.

[snippy_about_it]

.......FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

.......Good Saturday Morning Everyone!


If you would like added or removed from our ping list let me know.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone here at the Freeper Foxhole.

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you SAM.

I hadn't read the details of the Frankin battle before. Such bravery amid a terrible miscalculation. You can't read this account and not understand the depth of conviction by the Confederate Americans and their love of their country. I'm glad Captain Tod Carter at least got to see his home, how tragic.

North and South, a sad history of the loss of our own, brother against brother.

Hood was remarkable, to lose the use of his left arm and later to lose his right leg and still go on. Fortitude is a word that comes to mind.

Good thread, I learned a lot this morning.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC.

[Samwise]

Another great post, Sam. Thanks for all your hard work.

[manna]

Present!

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on August 30:
1334 Pedro, the Cruel, King of Castilia & Leon
1748 Jacques-Louis David France, Neoclassical painter (Death of Marat)
1797 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley London England, author (Frankenstein)
1837 Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur wife of president Chester A Arthur
1852 Jacobus Henricus van't Hoff Neth, physical chemist (Nobel 1901)
1871 Ernest Lord Rutherford England, physicist; discovered atomic nucleus
1884 Theodor Svedberg Sweden, chemist, worked with colloids (Nobel '26)
1893 Huey P Long Winn Parish La, (gov/sen-D-La)
1896 Raymond Massey Toronto Canada, actor (Dr Gillespie-Dr Kildare)
1901 John Gunther Chicago Ill, author/host (John Gunther's High Road)
1901 Roy Wilkins civil rights director (NAACP)
1907 Fred MacMurray Kankakee Ill, actor (Caine Mutiny, My 3 Sons)
1908 Willie Bryant New Orleans La, singer (Sugar Hill Times)
1909 Joan Blondell NYC, actress (Real McCoys, Here Come the Brides)
1917 Julie Bishop Denver Colo, actress (Northern Pursuit, Threat)
1918 Ted Williams Baseball's last .400 hitter (Boston Red Sox, hit .406, .344 lifetime)
1919 Kitty Wells Nashville Tn, country singer (Grand Ole Opry)
1922 Regina Resnik NYC, mezzo-soprano (Sieglinde-Bayreuth)
1923 Elias Victor Seixas US, mixed double tennis player (Wimbledon 1953-56)
1927 Geoffrey Beene Louisiana, dress designer (8 Coty Awards)
1928 Bill Daily Des Moines Iowa, actor (I Dream of Jeannie, Newhart)
1928 Johnny Mann Balt Md, music director (Johnny Mann Stand Up & Cheer)
1930 Warren Buffett author (The Midas Touch)
1931 John L Swigert Jr Denver Colorado, astronaut (Apollo 13
1935 John Phillips singer (Mama & Papas-California Dreaming)
1938 Steve Delaney Dobbs Ferry NY, newscaster (Monitor)
1939 Elizabeth Ashley Ocala Florida, actress (Coma)
1943 Jean Claude Killy France, skier (Olympic-3 golds-1968)
1943 R Crumb cartoonist (Father Time)
1947 Peggy Lipton Lawrence NY, actress (Julie-Mod Squad, Twin Peaks)
1950 John Landis actor (American Werewolf in London)
1951 Timothy Bottoms actor (Paper Chase, East of Eden)
1953 Robert Parish NBA center (Boston Celtics)
1955 Martin Jackson rocker (Swing Out Sister-Swing Out)
1964 Joan Bennett Chicago Ill, playmate (January, 1985)
1964 Stephen Baker NFL receiver (NY Giants)
1974 Matt Bongiovi heavy metal rocker (cousin of Jon Bon Jovi)

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Deaths which occurred on August 30:
30 -BC- Cleopatra 7th & most famous queen of Egypt, commits suicide
0526 Theodorik the Great, King of Ostrogoths, conqueror of Roman Empire/King of Italy,
1483 Louis XI king of France (1461-83), dies at 60
1879 John B Hood confederate general (lost Atlanta), dies at 48
1930 William H Taft 27th US President, dies
1952 Arky Vaughn infielder (Pirates & Dodgers), drowns
1961 Charles Coburn Acad award winning actor, dies at 84
1963 Axel Stordahl orch leader (Frank Sinatra Show), dies at 50
1964 Wesley Lau actor (Lt Anderson-Perry Mason), dies at 43
1968 William Talman actor (Hamilton-Perry Mason), dies at 53
1970 Del Moore actor/announcer (Cal-Bachelor Father), dies at 53
1981 Mohammad Ali Rajai president of Iran, assassinated by a bomb
1981 Mohammad Javad Bahonar prime minister of Iran, assassinated by a bomb
1993 Richard Jordan, US actor (Hunt for Red October, Posse), dies at 55, shortly after finishing movie, Gettysburg (Gen. Armistead)

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 HOFF SAMMIE D. KENNEDY TX.
[EJECTED RADIO CONTACT - REMAINS RETURNED EARLY 89]
1966 ROBINSON KENNETH D. INDIANAPOLIS IN.
[NO SUBS INTEL INFO / REMAINS RETURNED 12/88]
1967 ALLARD MICHAEL JOHN SCHOFIELD WI.
1970 PERALTA BENJAMIN R.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
31 -BC- Origin of Era of Augustus
257 St Sixtus II begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1146 European leaders outlaw crossbow, intending to end war for all time(for the children)
1645 Dutch & Indians sign peace treaty
1721 The Peace of Nystad ends the Second Northern War between Sweden and Russia, giving Russia considerably more power in the Baltic region.
1780 General Benedict Arnold betrayed the US when he promised secretly to surrender the fort at West Point to the British army. Arnold - whose name has become synonymous with traitor - fled to England after the botched consipracy. His co-conspirator, British spy Major John Andre, was hanged by Gen. Washington
1781 French fleet of 24 ships under Comte de Grasse defeat British under Admiral Graves at battle of Chesapeake Capes in Revolutionary War
1843 1st black participation in natl political convention (Liberty Party)
1850 Honolulu, Hawaii becomes a city
1861 Union General John Fremont declares martial law throughout Missouri and makes his own emancipation proclamation to free slaves in the state. President Lincoln overrules the general.
1862 Battle of 2nd Manassas-Pope defeated by Lee-Battle of Richmond, KY
1862 Battle of Altamont-Confederates beat Union forces in Tennessee
1885 13,000 meteors seen in 1 hour near Andromeda
1888 Lord Walsingham kills 1070 grouse in a single day
1905 Ty Cobb's 1st major league at bat (Detroit Tigers)
1906 Hal Chase became 1st Yank to hit 3 triples in a game
1910 Yank Tom Hughes pitches 9 no-hit innings but loses to Cleve 5-0 in 11
1912 St Louis Brown Earl Hamilton no-hits Detroit Tigers, 5-1
1913 Phillies lead Giants 8-6 in top of 9th, fans in bleachers try to distract Giants, Umpire forefeits game to Giants, later overruled
1916 Boston's Dutch Leonard no-hits St Louis Browns, 4-0
1916 Paul Von Hindenburg becomes chief-of-General-Staff in Germany
1939 NY Yankee Atley Donald pitches a baseball a record 94.7 mph (152 kph)
1941 German forces began the 900-day siege of Leningrad. When the siege ends, the Russian city lay in ruins and hundreds of thousands of people had died. And Leningrad still belonged to the Russians.
1941 St Louis Card Lon Warneke no-hits Cin Reds, 2-0
1944 Soviet troops enter Bucharest Romania
1945 Hong Kong liberated from Japan
1956 White mob prevents enrollment of blacks at Mansfield HS, Texas
1957 In an effort to stall the Civil Rights Act of 1957 from passing, Senator Strom Thurmond (D-S.C.) filibusters for over 24 hours. The bill passed, but Thurmond's filibuster becomes the longest in Senate history.
1961 1st Negro judge of a US District Court confirmed-JB Parsons
1961 Oriole Jack Fisher walks 12 LA Angels in a 9 inning game
1963 Hot Line communications link between Wash DC & Moscow went begins
1965 Casey Stengel announces his retirement after 55 years in baseball
1965 Section of Allalin glacier wipes out construction site at Mattmark Dam near Saas-Fee, Switzerland
1967 US Senate confirm Thurgood Marshall as 1st black justice
1968 1st record under Apple label (Beatle's Hey Jude)
1969 120,000 attend Texas Intl Pop Festival
1969 25,000 attend 2nd Annual Sky River Rock Festival, Tenino Wash
1969 Racial disturbances in Fort Lauderdale Florida
1974 Express train runs full speed into Zagreb, Yugo rail yard killing 153
1975 KTW-AM in Seattle Wash changes call letters to KYAC (now KKFX)
1976 Tom Brokaw becomes news anchor of the Today Show
1979 1st recorded occurrence-comet hits sun (energy=1 mil hydrogen bombs)
1979 Pres Carter attacked by a rabbit on a canoe trip in Plains Ga
1983 8th Space Shuttle Mission-Challenger 3-launched (6 days)
1984 12th Space Shuttle Mission (41-D)-Discovery 1-launched (6 days)
1986 Soviet authorities arrested Nicholas Daniloff (US News World Report)
1987 Ben Johnson of Canada runs 100 m in world record 9.83 sec
1987 Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria sets high jump women's record (6'10¬")
1987 Yves Pol of France runs complete marathon backwards (3:57:57)
1988 Julianne Philips files for divorce from Bruce Springsteen
1988 Tennis star Chris Everett weds skier Andy Mills
1989 Roman Polanski marries actress Emmanuelle Seigner
1990 Ken Griffey & Ken Griffey Jr become 1st father & son to play on the same team (Seattle Mariners), both single in the 1st inning
1991 Dan O'Brien sets US decathalon record with 8,812 points
1991 France beats US by narrowest Ryder Cup margin - 14« to 13«
1991 Mike Powell of the US, sets then long jump record at 29' 4«"
1995 Cable News Network joins internet
2001 Nikolay Soltys was captured hiding under a desk in his mother's back yard in Citrus Heights, Calif., after a ten-day nationwide manhunt for the Ukrainian immigrant accused of butchering six relatives. (Soltys committed suicide in his jail cell the following February.)

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Afghanistan : Children's Day
England, Channel Is, Northern Ireland, Wales : Bank Holiday ( Monday )
Gibraltar : Bank Holiday
Turkey : Victory Day (1922)
Hong Kong : Liberation Day (1945) ( Monday )
Be Kind to Humankind Week Ends/Speak Kind Words Saturday
National Neighborhood Day
National Toasted Marshmallow Day

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Religious Observances
RC : Comm of St Fiacre, Irish hermit, patron of gardeners
Old RC : Feast of St Rose of Lima, patron of Latin America

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Religious History
1637 Colonial religious teacher Anne Hutchinson, 46, was charged with "traducing (i.e., degrading) the ministry" and was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Moving the following year to Rhode Island, then to New York, Anne and her family were killed by Indians in 1643.
1770 Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'The exercised and experienced Christian, by the knowledge he has gained of his own heart and the many difficulties he has had to struggle with, acquires a skill and compassion in dealing with others.
1820 Birth of George F. Root, American sacred music editor and composer. Root helped edit 75 musical collections, as well as composing several hundred original sacred melodies. One of these, JEWELS, is the tune to which is commonly sung the hymn, "When He Cometh."
1856 Wilberforce University was established in Xenia, Ohio under auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1863, the university was transferred to the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.
1894 Independent Christian evangelist and educator Bob Jones, Sr. was converted at age 11 to a vital Christian faith. Licensed to preach by the Methodists at 15, Jones maintained a lifelong fundamentalist view of the Bible. In 1926, at age 32, he founded Bob Jones University.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"If a person with multiple personalities threatens suicide, is that considered a hostage situation?"

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Top Signs That You Might Be Addicted To the Internet


10. You write a letter that says something like
dear tom, hiyas! how r u doin

9. You have to be pryed from your computer with the Jaws of Life.

8. Someone at work/school tells a joke and you say, "LOL."

7. You no longer type with proper punctuation, capitalization or complete sentences.

6. You double click your TV remote.

5. Your answering machine message is something to the effect of
BRB, leave your s/n and I will TTYL

4. You wake up in the morining and the first thing you do is get online-even before you drink your cup of Java.

3. You smile sideways.

2. Tech Support calls YOU for help.

1. Being called a newbie is a MAJOR insult.

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Murphys law of the day...(Toddlers Laws)
The louder you speak and the more you repeat something is inversely proportional to the amount of information taken in.

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Cliff Clavin says, it's a little know fact that...
Charles Blondin (Jean Francois Gravelet) was the 1st person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope in 1859.

[Iris7]

You said, "Hood was remarkable, to lose the use of his left arm and later to lose his right leg and still go on."

This is good insight. Very few men still will be aggressive after recovering from serious wounds. Much less after being wounded twice, with the second being an amputation. A man indeed.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Feather! You're up early.

[SAMWolf]

Morning E.G.C.

We're getting predictions for a beautiful Holiday weekend.

[SAMWolf]

It's a shame that the entire War between the States has been reduced to the underground railroad and slavery in our children's history books for the most part.

It seem that the battles, leaders, causes and suffering of the war itself have been reduced to a a "Oh yeah, the Northern States fought against the evil racist Southern States". The actual war itself is almost a footnote.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Samwise.

[SAMWolf]

It's always nice to see your "Present" here at the Foxhole every morning.

It's as much a part of the Foxhole as Darksheare's coffee and PhilDragoo's witty commentary.

[SAMWolf]

1780 General Benedict Arnold betrayed the US when he promised secretly to surrender the fort at West Point to the British army. Arnold - whose name has become synonymous with traitor - fled to England after the botched consipracy. His co-conspirator, British spy Major John Andre, was hanged by Gen. Washington

Morning Valin. Benendict Arnold is going to be covered by the Foxhole in Oct.

Thanks for your daily "Today in History". It's only gotten better with the addition of the "Missing in Action, "Murphy's Law", and "Little Known Fact" sections.