General Patrick Cleburne

Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was unique among Confederate commanders. Born in County Cork, Ireland to a middle class Protestant surgeon, Cleburne served briefly in the 41st Regiment of Foot as a young man.

He lived through the Irish Famine of 1845-1849 and saw first-hand, as a soldier, the attempts at Rebellion in the Young Ireland Movement. His family lost their wealth, and at the age of 21, Pat Cleburne went to America, with nothing more than a few reminders of his Irish past and an ambition to succeed.

Pat joined the Confederate army as a private in the newly formed ‘Yell Rifles’ and was immediately promoted to regimental Captain of the company. When the 15th Arkansas was formed, Cleburne was chosen as Colonel. Within eighteen months, Cleburne was promoted to Major General.

He served with the Army of Tennessee and fought in all the major battles from Shiloh, the Kentucky campaign of 1862, Murfreesboro, Tullahoma Campaign, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Tunnel Hill and the Atlanta campaign of 1864.

He proposed enlisting Southern Slaves in the army in exchange for their freedom, but this idea was not accepted until over a year later, when it was too late to be of a benefit. It was this suggestion that probably hindered Cleburne’s further promotion.

Cleburne led his Division to glory in the Tennessee Campaign of 1864, where he fell mortally wounded on the battlefield of Franklin, Tennessee on 30th November 1864 at the age of 36.

General William J. Hardee would later write,

“Friends and foe soon learned to watch the course of the blue flag that marked where Cleburne was in the battle. Where this division defended no odds broke it's lines, where it attacked, no numbers resisted it's onslaught, save only once, and there's the grave of Cleburne and his heroic division.”

For further information on the great Patrick Cleburne, visit the Patrick Cleburne Appreciation Society.

For further information on the 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, vist their Web site here.