Generals in Gray: Cleburne

Patrick R. Cleburne

He then served under Johnston in the campaign to defend Atlanta and withdrew with Hood back into Tennessee. In the Battle of Franklin, south of Nashville, Hood ordered a suicidal assault that sacrificed several thousand Confederates, including six generals. (As David Eicher writes in The Longest Night, "If the lessons of Malvern Hill and Gettysburg had taught many Rebel commanders to avoid frontal attacks, they had not convinced Hood.") Wave after wave bravely following Hood's orders to advance in tight formation, close to point-blank range, then fire and charge the federal line with bayonets fixed, and were cut down. Cleburne's division was at the center of the Confederate line. Out of 27,000 men engaged at Franklin, Hood suffered 6,300 casualties. Among those killed was Cleburne, who was shot in the abdomen and died alongside his men on November 30, 1864. Cleburne was buried at St. John’s Church near Mount Pleasant, Tennessee. In April 1870, his remains were disinterred and brought back to Helena, Arkansas.
*One of the interesting "footnotes" to Cleburne's story occurred in the winter of 1863-64. Recognizing that insufficient manpower was becoming an increasingly serious disadvantage for the Confederacy the longer the war dragged on, he circulated a proposal to enlist slaves with the promise of emancipation. Better to win the war and lose some slaves than to lose everything, he argued. In addition, it might rekindle the hope of European intervention. But the proposal was flatly rejected by President Davis and the Confederate Congress. A limited version of Cleburne's proposal was approved in the spring of 1865; too little, too late.

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Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was born in County Cork, Ireland, on March 16, 1828. The son of a physician, he pursued study of medicine with the intention of becoming a chemist (pharmacist) but failed the entrance exam. He then enlisted in the British Army. Three years later (1849) he was discharged and came to America. Cleburne settled in Helena, Arkansas, worked as a druggist, and studied law. In 1856 he joined a prestigious law firm and prospered in real estate. In 1861 he joined the Confederate army and was appointed colonel of the 15th Arkansas regiment. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1862 and commanded the 2nd Brigade of Hardee's Division at Shiloh, then at Richmond and Perryville in Kentucky (where he was wounded). Cleburne repeatedly distinguished himself as a brilliant and bold combat officer. Promoted to major general and given command of a division, he performed superbly at Murfreesboro and Chickamauga. When Bragg's Army of Tennessee was routed by the federal charge up Missionary Ridge at Chattanooga, Cleburne's division was the rearguard that helped save Bragg's army from destruction. Known as the "Stonewall of the West," Cleburne became one of the most admired division commanders in the Confederate army.*

© 2003 David C. Hanson, HIS 269 - Civil War and Reconstruction, Virginia W. Community College

Patrick R. Cleburne
	He then served under Johnston in the campaign to defend Atlanta and withdrew with Hood back into Tennessee. In the Battle of Franklin, south of Nashville, Hood ordered a suicidal assault that sacrificed several thousand Confederates, including six generals. (As David Eicher writes in The Longest Night, "If the lessons of Malvern Hill and Gettysburg had taught many Rebel commanders to avoid frontal attacks, they had not convinced Hood.") Wave after wave bravely following Hood's orders to advance in tight formation, close to point-blank range, then fire and charge the federal line with bayonets fixed, and were cut down. Cleburne's division was at the center of the Confederate line. Out of 27,000 men engaged at Franklin, Hood suffered 6,300 casualties. Among those killed was Cleburne, who was shot in the abdomen and died alongside his men on November 30, 1864. Cleburne was buried at St. John’s Church near Mount Pleasant, Tennessee. In April 1870, his remains were disinterred and brought back to Helena, Arkansas. *One of the interesting "footnotes" to Cleburne's story occurred in the winter of 1863-64. Recognizing that insufficient manpower was becoming an increasingly serious disadvantage for the Confederacy the longer the war dragged on, he circulated a proposal to enlist slaves with the promise of emancipation. Better to win the war and lose some slaves than to lose everything, he argued. In addition, it might rekindle the hope of European intervention. But the proposal was flatly rejected by President Davis and the Confederate Congress. A limited version of Cleburne's proposal was approved in the spring of 1865; too little, too late. Generals >
Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was born in County Cork, Ireland, on March 16, 1828. The son of a physician, he pursued study of medicine with the intention of becoming a chemist (pharmacist) but failed the entrance exam. He then enlisted in the British Army. Three years later (1849) he was discharged and came to America. Cleburne settled in Helena, Arkansas, worked as a druggist, and studied law. In 1856 he joined a prestigious law firm and prospered in real estate. In 1861 he joined the Confederate army and was appointed colonel of the 15th Arkansas regiment. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1862 and commanded the 2nd Brigade of Hardee's Division at Shiloh, then at Richmond and Perryville in Kentucky (where he was wounded). Cleburne repeatedly distinguished himself as a brilliant and bold combat officer. Promoted to major general and given command of a division, he performed superbly at Murfreesboro and Chickamauga. When Bragg's Army of Tennessee was routed by the federal charge up Missionary Ridge at Chattanooga, Cleburne's division was the rearguard that helped save Bragg's army from destruction. Known as the "Stonewall of the West," Cleburne became one of the most admired division commanders in the Confederate army.*
© 2003 David C. Hanson, HIS 269 - Civil War and Reconstruction, Virginia W. Community College