Hood resigned from the United States Army immediately after the Battle of Fort Sumter and, dissatisfied with the neutrality of his native Kentucky, decided to serve his adopted state of Texas.
Hood trak sig tilbage fra De Forenede Staters hær straks efter Fort Sumter, og i utilfredshed med sin hjemstat Kentuckys neutralitet besluttede han at gøre tjeneste for sin adopterede hjemstat Texas.