Your discource with Bruce pretty much sums up my statement, that Hood chose Lee, Hood was the commander, and neither he nor the man he chose for the position, Lee, took any blame for the action. If memory serves Lee blamed the ineffective men at both Ezra Church and Jonesboro. I stand by the statement that Lee's and Hood's actions have never been competely explained militarily. In additon, I have never seen a good tactical or strategic explanation as to why Hood chose Lee either; but he did. Whether Lee was sent to block a move by Sherman or not, Hood's tactic was to flank and stop him. I see no difference in Hood's attack plan (at Ezra Church, Lee messed up by attacking early) and Hood's end run around the left flank at Atlanta (A poorly conceived, poorly communicated, and poorly executed manuever by an exhausted and confused army against fortified positions).