Joseph E. Johnston was willing to abandon low-value ground and preserve his army, while Jefferson Davis demanded a more aggressive commander. Hood supplied that aggression, but directed it north against a stronger force rather than toward Sherman's communications and Atlanta. An explicit counterfactual asks whether an attack on Atlanta could have forced Sherman to turn back or compelled Thomas to leave Nashville and manoeuvre. Instead, Hood moved away from the army whose advance he needed to obstruct. Aggressiveness did not select an objective capable of changing the enemy's plan.
Notable Point · 1:18:43-1:20:26
Johnston, Hood, and the road not taken at Atlanta
Replacing Johnston's preservation strategy with Hood's aggression removed the Confederate army from Georgia when a threat to Atlanta might have forced Union countermovement.