Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War

by Craig L. Symonds

Overview

To Jefferson Davis, he was the "Stonewall of the West"; to Robert E. Lee, he was "a meteor shining from a clouded sky"; and to Braxton Bragg, he was an officer "ever alive to a success." He was Patrick Ronayne Cleburne, one of the greatest of all Confederate field commanders.

An Irishman by birth, Cleburne emigrated to the United States in 1849 at the age of 21. He achieved only modest success in the peacetime South, but rose rapidly in the wartime army to become the Confederacy's finest division commander. He was admired by peers and subordinates alike for his leadership, loyalty, honesty, and fearlessness in the face of enemy fire. The valor of his command was so inspirational that his unit alone was allowed to carry its own distinctive battle flag.

In Stonewall of the West, Craig Symonds offers the first full-scale critical biography of this compelling figure. He explores all the sources of Cleburne's commitment to the Southern cause, his growth as a combat leader from Shiloh to Chickamauga, and his emergence as one of the Confederacy's most effective field commanders at Missionary Ridge, Ringgold Gap, and Pickett's Mill. In addition, Symonds unravels the "mystery" of Spring Hill and recounts Cleburne's dramatic and untimely death (at the age of 36) at Franklin, Tennessee, where he charged the enemy line on foot after having two horses shot from under him.

Symonds also explores Cleburne's role in the complicated personal politics of the Army of Tennessee, as well as his astonishing proposal that the decimated Confederate ranks be filled by ending slavery and arming blacks against the Union.

Symonds' definitive and immensely readable narrative casts new light on Cleburne, on the Army of Tennessee, and on the Civil War in the West. It finally and firmly establishes Cleburne's rightful place in the pantheon of Southern military heroes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780700609345
Publisher:	University Press of Kansas
Publication date:	04/08/1997
Series:	Modern War Studies
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	340
Sales rank:	706,209
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Craig L. Symonds is professor of history at the U.S. Naval Academy and the author or editor of twelve other books including Lincoln Prize finalist Joseph E. Johnston: A Civil War Biography and three battlefield atlases.

Table of Contents

List of Maps

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Part One—A Stranger in a Strange Land

1. Pat Cleburne’s Ireland

2. Helena, Arkansas

3. Command

4. First Blood: Shiloh

5. The Kentucky Campaign

Part Two—The Army of Tennessee

6. Cleburne’s Division

7. War and Politics

8. Barren Victory: The Battle of Chickamauga

9. Stonewall of the West

Part Three—An Honest Heart and a Strong Arm

10. “A Plan Which We Believe Will Save Our Country”

11. From Dalton to the Chattahoochee

12. The Battles for Atlanta

13. The Last Crusade

Epilogue

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

"A highly readable work that provides insights into the dialogue between society, culture, and personality, on one side, and Civil War military leadership, on the other."—Journal of American History

"Symonds has produced what may truly be the lasting biography of the so-called Stonewall of the West."—Atlanta History

"A superb biography and the definitive book on Patrick Cleburne."—North & South

"Every student of the Civil War needs to read this insightful account."—Blue & Gray Magazine

"Should be in every Civil War collection."—Library Journal

"A fascinating story."—Washington Times

"This is the biography that Patrick Cleburne has long deserved. Scrupulously fair in his judgments, Symonds accords Cleburne full credit for his accomplishments even as he sweeps away the romantic gloss that has clung to the general for many generations."—Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Confederate War

"Fresh and thought provoking. An inspiration to all who appreciate the highest virtue and character under extreme hardship and disadvantage."—Wiley Sword, author of The Confederacy’s Last Hurrah

"The finest biography of one of the Confederacy’s finest fighting generals."—Albert Castel, author of Decision in the West

"Outstanding biography, fine battle history, and fascinating reading."—Steven E. Woodworth, author of Davis and Lee at War

From the Publisher

A highly readable work that provides insights into the dialogue between society, culture, and personality, and Civil War military leadership.

Journal of American History

Symonds has produced what may truly be the lasting biography of the so-called Stonewall of the West.

Atlanta History

A superb biography and the definitive book on Patrick Cleburne.

North & South

Every student of the Civil War needs to read this insightful account.

Blue & Gray Magazine

A fascinating story.

Washington Times

Born and raised in Ireland, Cleburne was instrumental in organizing a militia company at the beginning of the Civil War known as the Yell Rifles, which elected him their captain. Symonds (Joseph E. Johnston: A Civil War Biography, LJ 2/1/92) delves into the reasons why Cleburne joined the Southern cause and his proposal that slaves be armed to fight for the Confederacy. Much of the book examines Cleburne's growth as a combat leader, from his first major battle at Shiloh to his emergence as one of the war's more effective field commanders. The author also investigates Cleburne's relations with Generals Hardee, Bragg, Johnston, and Hood, resolves the mystery of what happened at Spring Hill, and recounts Cleburne's dramatic charge and untimely death at the Battle of Franklin. This first full-scale critical biography should be in every Civil War collection.W. Walter Wicker, Emritus, Louisiana Tech Univ., Ruston

Library Journal