In 1864, the Confederate States of America was in aprecarious situation. It had been splitdown the middle when the Union forces gained control of the Mississippi River.To add to the problems of the Confederategovernment, the individual states, especially those that were threatened withinvasion by the northern forces, were determined to maintain a rather largehome militia to be used only in the event their states were invaded.The Army of Tennessee had operated under a defensivestrategy for some time since the Battle of Perryville, falling back to the nextmost strategic position, hoping to draw the Union forces into an unfavorablesituation. However, the Army ofTennessee found itself falling back rapidly upon Atlanta an important rail huband vital to the supply of the South.The Confederate administration wanted militaryvictories. Politicking in and out ofthe army, John B. Hood became the commander of the Army of Tennessee, supposedly with a "better plan" to save the breadbasket of the South and drivethe enemy back to the Ohio River.