In the Lion's Mouth

* Spellbinding account of the Confederates' retreat after their crushing defeat at the Battle of Nashville in December 1864 The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theatre of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15-16, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood and Federal forces under Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas. In one of the largest victories achieved by the Union Army during the war, Thomas attacked and routed Hood's army, largely destroying it as an effective fighting force. Casualties from the two-day battle were 3,061 Union and approximately 6,000 Confederate; the Battle of Nashville was one of the most stunning tactical victories achieved by either side in a major engagement in the war. The formidable Army of Tennessee, the second largest Confederate force, was effectively destroyed as a fighting force. Hood's army entered Tennessee with over 30,000 men but left with 15-20,000. The Confederates' 12-day, 100-mile retreat after their defeat at the Battle of Nashville with Union forces in hot pursuit took place in December 1864, during one of the worst winters on record.