but john scofield sends a small -- sherman gives thomas a 25,000 man army under scofield. scofield positions himself between hood's army and northern alabama and nashville. so hood begins his march towards nashville, and scofield then starts a retreat. so you've got 30,000 confederate troops and a 25,000 man union army. and they are both racing north to try to get to nashville. scofield wants to get to nashville because it is fortified. hood wants to get between scofield and nashville, and he wants to attack nashville and -- attack and destroy scofield and that will leave george thomas with these consolidating troops, putting together a small force in nashville. hood and scofield both meats, bothth meet, are converging in the city of columbia, tennessee. scofield got there first. and he fortifies. so hood has three corps, and he is sitting there south of columbia and he has two choices. one is to attack scofield head-on or the other is to try a flank. he decides to try a flank. so he leaves all 100 at columbia with one core of infantry, and he takes the other two corps and