Repeat not Past Tragedies – Lessons Learned from Jack Hinson’s Small War

In uncertain times, it’s always beneficial to learn from the experiences of past generations – understand the situations they faced and how they overcame adversity.?We often fall into the trap of thinking present difficulties have never been seen before and no one has ever had it as hard as we do, but this is a major fallacy.?

Following up on my recent reviewing Aaron Buff’s 2009 book Jack Hinson’s One-Man War I’ve written an expanded list of lessons learned from my reading of this excellent book.?As a student of history, leadership and human nature, I found tale is full of lessons, many of which are timeless. ?

For some background and context, please read my previous article .

1.?????What takes significant time and productive effort to build can be destroyed in an instant.

On February 11, 1864 the immediate Hinson family escaped during the night to avoid arrest; the extended family (former slaves) to assume quasi ownership of the farm with the hope it would be spared and the entire family eventually reunited.?The black Hinsons, as the author describes them, fully understood their best opportunity to weather the winter and war lie in keeping the farm infrastructure intact – house, quarters, shops and especially barns housing the recent harvest and animals.?

When the Union patrol’s search for Jack was fruitless, the soldiers set the house ablaze. Fortunately most of the barns were spared, presumably out of pity for the remaining Bubbling Springs residents placing themselves between the soldiers and remaining buildings, pleading for compassion.?What had taken decades to create was destroyed in the blink of an eye – the Hinson’s farm as a home and productive enterprise never recovered. ?

2.?????In war, the most grievous acts are usually perpetrated after primary combat has moved on.

Historically, the most competent officers and senior troops are assigned to front line units; those with inferior leadership and administrative capacities are relegated to occupational forces.?Training, discipline and supply standards are often below those of front line units thus leading to an increased frequency of looting and abuse of local populations.?Additionally the effectiveness of counter guerilla efforts are much to be desired and frustrations shifted to anyone suspected of being a sympathizer – justly or unjustly.?

These circumstances were very typical of the Union army units assigned to the Civil War’s Western Theater when the focus shifted over to campaigns in the east. It’s the civilians, simply trying to survive and remain out of the conflict, who suffered most, as is the norm throughout history.

3.?????Pushing honorable people too far without justification, backing them into a corner, will eventually cause a fierce reaction. ?

Recalling Abraham Lincoln’s practice of regularly communing the death sentences of young Union soldiers who had run in the face of the enemy - he explained that it’s never wise to crush a man’s spirit because you’ll make a lifelong and committed enemy.?This is exactly what Federal troops assigned to occupy and pacify western Tennessee did to the Hinsons, among many others.?

The nature of the area’s population, circumstance of the conflict, low quality of army leadership and lack of clear policy set the stage for heavy handed treatment of the local populous and at the same time made for a hotbed of guerrilla activity.?Never underestimate the potency of committed people defending their homes and families.?(On a side note, from my sense of Lincoln’s nature, and now what I know of Jack Hinson, under other and more fortunate circumstances I believe they would have gotten along very well together and perhaps been excellent friends.)

4.?????To be a successful clandestine operator, always practice operational security (OPSEC) and consider normal pattern of behavior.?

A primary reason Captain Jack Hinson was an effective guerrilla was his propensity to act alone and strict discipline when in contact with others; most people operating outside the law are caught simply because they can’t remain silent about their activities.?Additionally, while under suspicion for a considerable time, Hinson avoided direct action from Union forces for a very long time because he maintained his normal pattern of activity while he gathered information, scouted patrols, expanded his a personal network and made plans.?

Riding the countryside, inspecting plots of land and interacting with neighbors were normal pursuits for someone with Jack’s occupation.?He maintained the role of a prosperous farmer and prominent citizen for as long as reasonably possible which allowed the freedom of movement required for shaping future events.

5.?????Knowledge, foresight and planning are key to success.?

As Sun Tzu wrote, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”?Had the Art of War been available to the English reader in the mid-19th century, I fully believe Jack Hinson would have appreciated its timeless wisdom; but even without exposure to Sun Tzu, he put many its principles into practice.?

Hinson was fully aware of his capabilities and limitations; intimately familiar and proficient with his equipment; studied his enemies’ doctrine, methods and habits; maintained intelligence and information network.?Additionally, the home field advantage can’t be overstated; Jack operated in his home territory and had intimate knowledge of the forests and towns throughout the region.?The occupying forces were from other states and included few experienced hunters and trackers; even the most successful Union anti-guerrilla troops assigned to hunt Hinson were ineffective.

6.?????Everyone has the capacity for both good and evil residing inside and either one is revealed when we least expect in times of crisis.?

It is a common fallacy when reading literature or studying history to categorize personalities into good and bad, heroes and villains; the fact is that at some point we are all the champion or scoundrel in someone’s story.?We also often tell ourselves the lie, “I would never allow myself to act cruelly or follow the mob.”?Uncovering inner monsters is something widely written about by Friedrich Nietzsche, Carl Jung, Victor Frankl, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Jordan Peterson among others – but seemingly few step onto that difficult path.?

Civil society is largely a veneer of shared culture and reciprocal trust; when the foundational institutions begin to weaken and discourse fails, a person’s true nature is exposed – particularly when placed in positions of arbitrary authority.?As Jack Hinson’s example demonstrates, each of us hold within the capacity, in some way, to act out any and every horrifying deed from the past; this propensity is experienced communally throughout history over and over.

7.?????History is never as clean and condensed as portrayed; actual event are deep, messy and usually strung out over time – no different from the present.?

The old adage is true, history is written by the victors – in the short term, yes; moreover, it’s also often written well after the fact and as records and witnesses begin to dwindle.?Details concerning motivations, nature of relationships and decision making, among many other things, are complexities lying under the surface and very often unobserved.?The present is little different in the way we navigating the pandemonium regularly swirling around us – we almost never have adequate information or context when making critical decisions.?But, at the same time, we never have zero information either.?

The key is filtering the data we do have down to its applicable core and preserving a flexible mindset; learning history, the decisions and actions of past leaders, will seldom offer an orderly, but it provides broad frameworks for piecing together creative solutions of our own – improvise, adapt and overcome. ?It’s a transitioning from leading via cause and effect to accepting ever present ambiguity along with cultivating a mentality of awareness, introspection and proactivity.?This was exactly the mindset Jack Hinson is described as embodying as he embarked on his small war. ?

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