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Confederate General John Bell Hood
surrendered to Union forces in Natchez, Mississippi, on May 31, 1865. He moved
to New Orleans, Louisiana, seeking to rebuild his life. There, Hood ventured into business as a
cotton broker, merchant, and insurance agent, eventually becoming president of
the Life Association of America. Despite chronic pain from war wounds—including
the loss of his right leg at Chickamauga and use of his left arm at
Gettysburg—he embraced civilian pursuits.
In 1868, Hood married Anna Marie
Hennen, and the couple had 11 children, including three sets of twins, over the
next decade. He actively supported veterans through charitable work, attending
reunions like the 1872 gathering of Hood's Texas Brigade in Houston. Hood also
penned his memoir, Advance and Retreat: Personal Experiences in the United
States and Confederate States Armies, defending his wartime decisions. This was published posthumously.
Tragedy struck in 1878 when a yellow
fever epidemic devastated New Orleans, collapsing his insurance business. Hood
succumbed to the disease on August 30, 1879, just days after his wife and
eldest daughter, leaving 10 destitute orphans. The Texas Brigade Association
and Southern families supported the children for years.
Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War
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