Product Description

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 had 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's 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.

This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #599346 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.05 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 328 pages

From Library Journal
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
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
The heroic story of an outstanding divisional commander for the Confederacy in the Army of Tennessee. Symonds (History/US Naval Academy; Joseph E. Johnson: A Civil War Biography, 1992) combines well researched narrative history and biography with a highly readable style in exploring the life of this exceptional man. Cleburne was, as the narrative demonstrates, reliable, cool, and reserved under extreme hardship but passionate in battle. Leaving his starving homeland, Ireland, in the bitter year of 1849 after service in the British Army, Cleburne emigrated to the US and became a hard-working member of the frontier community in Helena, Ark. When the Civil War started, this accidental Southerner joined the Confederate forces and soon distinguished himself as an inspirational leader, displaying both courage and judgment. Symonds describes his gallantry in such battles as Shiloh, Chickamauga, and Kenasaw Mountain. Even though Jefferson Davis called him ``the Stonewall of the West,'' and Robert E. Lee described him as a ``meteor shining from a clouded sky,'' Cleburne, being foreign-born and an outspoken critic of ineffective officers (including his own commander), was often passed over for promotion. He also stirred controversy when he proposed abolishing slavery and enlisting ex-slaves in the army. Despite his disappointments, he achieved a superb record as an innovative division commander and was faithful to the Southern cause. After the capture of Atlanta, though the war had clearly been lost, the army's new commander fought on, rashly expending lives. Cleburne, though aware of the likely outcome, stayed with his troops and was killed at the Battle of Franklin at the age of 36. A fine addition to Civil War literature and a deserved tribute to a remarkable career. (20 photos, 11 maps) (History Book Club main selection) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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