Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of John Bell Hood

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Descendants of John Bell Hood

Generation No. 1

1. John Bell⁵ Hood (Dr. John W.⁴, "Luke"³, Lucas², Jasper¹) was born June 29, 1831 in Owingsville, Bath County, Kentucky, and died August 30, 1879 in New Orleans, Louisana. He married Anna Marie Hennen April 30, 1868 in New Orleans, Louisana. She died August 24, 1879 in New Orleans, Louisana.

Notes for John Bell Hood:
John Bell and his siblings were left with their mother for approximately eight months each year during the middle and late 1840's during Dr. John Hood's annual visits to Philadelphia where he taught medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. During the extended absences of his father, young John Bell would be influenced by his grandfather Luke, the old Indian fighter, and his grandfather, James, the Revolutionary War veteran.

John Bell was urged by his father to take up the study of medicine, and was even offered an opportunity to study in Europe. However, John Bell desired to follow in the soldier's footsteps of his forefathers, and with the assistance of his uncle, Judge Richard French, he received an appointment to West Point, enrolling on July 1, 1849.

John Bell Hood arrived at West Point during the summer of 1849, and graduated four years later in a class that included Civil War notables James B. McPherson, John M. Schofield and Philip H. Sheridan. It is at West point that Hood acquired the nickname "Sam", the origin is not known, but would remain with him the rest of his life.

Many cadets from southern states would struggle academically, due to the general lower quality primary education in agrarian areas. This may explain Hood's poor academic performance since he was educated at a subscription school in rural Clark County, Kentucky. At West Point his weakest subjects were philosophy and French. His strongest classes were mathematics and drawing. He ultimately graduated 44th out of 55 members of the Class of 1853.

Hood had shown leadership qualities at West Point, having been promoted to color sergeant in April 1852, and to cadet lieutenant in September 1852. If not for his pre-Christmas sojourn to the local tavern during his senior year, Hood's conduct and discipline record for his four years would have been impressive.

In August, 1853 brevet Second Lieutenant Hood received orders to report to the Fourth Infantry Regiment headquarters in San Francisco. Arriving in California in January, 1854 he was assigned to Fort Jones in northern California. His activities there included routine garrison duties and escorting surveying parties.

In March, 1855, at the urging of U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, Congress authorized the formation of two new cavalry regiments that would protects settlements on the frontier of Texas. These two new units would be an elite corps, with the personnel being hand picked by the Army high command. The Second Regiment would be the more prestigious of the two, it's corps a virtual "whose-who" of the later Civil War. Its commander was chosen to be Mexican War hero Colonel Albert Sydney Johnston; Robert E. Lee was the regiment's lieutenant colonel; William j. Hardee and George Thomas, majors; Earl Van Dorn, George Stoneman and E. Kirby Smith captains. Hood was promoted to second lieutenant of cavalry and reported to Colonel Johnston at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri in October, 1855.

Recovering from a wound involving a skirmish with a band of Indians, Hood returned to full duty one month later. On November 17, 1858 he was promoted to first lieutenant and assigned to command of Camp Colorado from June through August, 1859. He transferred to command of Camp Alamo for September and October 1859, and finally commanded Camp Wood from December 31, 1859 until September 1860.

On September 28, 1860 while en route home on leave to attend to his father's estate matters, Hood received orders to return to West Point to serve as Chief Instructor of Cavalry. He proceeded directly to Washington D.C. and personally requested Adjutant General Samuel Cooper to rescind the order. Those orders were rescinded and Hood returned to Camp Wood in March, 1861.

In 1861, with the outbreak of the Civil War, Hood tendered his resignation from the United States Army to tender his services to the newly formed Confederacy.

In the summer of 1861 he was promoted to full colonel, and given command of the Fourth Texas Regiment. On March 7, 1862 Hood was promoted to brigadier general and placed in command of the Texas Brigade of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. In October 1862, following the Battle of Antietam, Hood was promoted to Major General at the recommendation of General Lee.

Hood commanded the legendary Texas Brigade in the Seven Days Battles, Antietam, Second Manassa, and Gettysburg, where he was severely wounded. In late 1863, at the Battle of Chickamauga on September 20, 1863 Hood received his most serious wound, resulting in the amputation of his right leg. On February 1, 1864 Hood was promoted to lieutenant general and was assigned to serve as a corps commander under General Joseph E. Johnston. During his convalescence, General James Longstreet recommended him for further promotion.

On February 1, 1864 Hood was promoted to lieutenant general and was assigned to serve as corps commander under General Joseph E. Johnston. Arriving in Dalton, Georgia on February 4, 1864 Hood served under Johnston throughout Union General William T. Sherman's north Georgia campaign during the spring of 1864. On July 17, 1864 Hood received a temporary promotion to full general, and in a highly controversial move, President Jefferson Davis relieved Johnston as commander of the Army of Tennessee, replacing him with Hood. Hood commanded the defending Confederate forces in the siege of Atlanta from that time until evacuating the city on September 2, 1864.

On November 19, 1864 Hood's Army of Tennessee departed Florence, Alabama for an ill fated invasion of Tennessee. On November 30, Hood's forces suffered staggering losses in a decisive defeat at Franklin, Tennessee at the hands of a Union force commanded by his West Point classmate General John Schofield. Two weeks later, the Army of Tennessee was routed at Nashville on December 16 by his former U.S. Army colleague General George Thomas. After a humiliating retreat to Tupelo, Mississippi, Hood resigned his command on January 23, 1865 reverting to his permanent rank of lieutenant general.

During the waning days of the Confederacy, Hood was ordered by Davis to travel to Texas and attempt to raise an army of 25,000 troops. However, learning of the surrender of General Kirby Smith in Texas, Hood surrendered to Federal authorities in Natchez, Mississippi on May 31, 1865. After receiving his parole, Hood proceeded on to New Orleans, Louisana, the city that would ultimately be his post war home. New Orleans became home to many ex-Confederate generals. Among them were, in addition to Hood, James Longstreet, P.T.Beauregard, Jubal Early, fellow Kentuckian Simon Buckner and "Fighting" Joe Wheeler. Hood, with business associates John C. Barwelli and Fred N. Taylor, in February 1866 established "J.B.Hood and Co., Cotton factors and Commission Merchants".

After the war Hood's cotton brokerage initially struggled and at the invitation of Longstreet, Hood took over the operation of his former commander's struggling insurance business. During the period between 1870 and 1879, it appeared Hood prospered in the insurance and cotton businesses and various other enterprises. He purchased and resided in a spacious house in the upscale Garden District with his wife, their children and her recently widowed mother. The elegant home still stands at the corner of Camp and Third Street.

In 1878, calamity struck the Hood family, along with many others in New Orleans,

A yellow fever epidemic ravaged the city during the summer and resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 people. New Orleans was virtually isolated, and the Cotton Exchange closed. All but two insurance companies in the city went bankrupt. During the winter and spring of 1878-1870 Hood was wiped out financially.

During the summer of 1878 Hood, as did most wealthy citizens, moved his family from the city. Spending the dangerous months at the Hennen family retreat near Hammound, Louisiana, they had been spared the terror of the epidemic. However, finances would not allow the family to move out of the city during the summer of 1879. During the entire year of 1879 there were only six confirmed deaths due to yellow fever in New Orleans. Unfortunately, three would occur in the Hood household.

Anne Marie Hood's elderly mother survived, but was in poor health and would die the following year. With no means of support, the ten surviving orphans were adopted.

Resources:

THE GALLANT HOOD, by John P Dyer, Konecky and Konecky, 1950

ADVANCE AND RETREAT, by John B. Hood, Blue and Grey Press, 1985

HOOD: CAVALIER GENERAL, by Richard O'Connor, Prentice-Hall, 1949

HOOD'S TEXAS BRIGADE: LEE'S GRENADIER GUARD, by Harold B. Simpson, Landmark, 1999

THE TUNIS HOOD FAMILY: ITS LINEAGE AND TRADITIONS, by Dellman O. Hood, Higginson, 1960

PERSONAL GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF MRS. RUTH HOOD MADDIX,New Boston, Ohio

PERSONAL GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF S.M. "SAM" HOOD, Huntington, West Virginia

More About John Bell Hood:
Burial: August 31, 1879, Hennen Family Cemetary, New Orleans, Louisana
Degree: 1853, West Point Military Academy

Notes for Anna Marie Hennen:
She was the daughter of a prominent New Orleans attorney, Duncan N. Hennen, and granddaughter of Alfred Hennen, Justice on the Louisana Supreme Court. She was described as beautiful, charming, and had been educated in Paris, France.

One month after the birth of her eleventh child, Mrs. Hood was stricken with yellow fever. After appearing to have recovered from the affliction, she became ill after bathing, relapsed and died August 24, 1879. She was initially buried at Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District of New Orleans. A few years later she, John Bell Hood, and their oldest daughter Lydia were moved to the Hennen family crypt in Metarie Cemetery in New Orleans.

More About Anna Marie Hennen:
Burial: August 25, 1979, Hennen Family Cemetary, New Orleans, Louisana

Marriage Notes for John Hood and Anna Hennen:
Married with Simon Buckner as his best man.

More About John Hood and Anna Hennen:
Marriage: April 30, 1868, New Orleans, Louisana

Children of John Hood and Anna Hennen are:

Lydia⁶ Hood, born 1869; died August 29, 1879 in New Orleans, Louisana.

Notes for Lydia Hood:
Lydia died of Yellow Fever on Thursday, August 29, 1879, the day before her father.

ii.

Annabel Hood, born 1870.

Notes for Annabel Hood:
Annabel Hood and her twin sister, Ethel, were adopted by Mr. & Mrs. John Morris, New Orleans upon the death of their parents.

More About Annabel Hood:
Adoption: New Orleans, Louisana

	4	iii.		Ethel Hood, born 1870.
	5	iv.		John Bell Hood Jr, born 1871.

Notes for John Bell Hood Jr:
John Bell Hood Jr was adopted by Mr. & Mrs. James Russell, Jonestown, Mississippi up the death of his parents,

Duncan Hood, born 1873.

Notes for Duncan Hood:
Duncan Hood was adopted by Miss Clementation Furness, New York City, upon the death of his parents.

vi.

Marion Hood, born 1874.

Notes for Marion Hood:
Marion and her twin sister, Lillian, were adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Thatcher McAdams, New York City after the death of their parents.

	8	vii.		Lillian Hood, born 1874.
	9	viii.		Odile Hood, born 1876.

Notes for Odile Hood:
Odile and her twin sister, Ida were adopted by Mr. & Mrs. George T. McGehee, Woodville, Mississippi after the death of their parents.

	10	ix.		Ida Hood, born 1876.
	11	x.		Oswald Hood, born 1878.

Notes for Oswald Hood:
Oswald was adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Harney, Lexington, Kentucky upon the death of his parents.

xi.

Anna Hood, born 1879.

Notes for Anna Hood:
Anna was adopted by Mrs. M. E. Joseph, Columbus Georgia upon the death of her parents. She died in infancy.

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