—A Part of the Civil War Discovery Trail —

"I am with the South in life or death, in victory or defeat."
      Patrick Cleburne, May 1861

A Brilliant and Beloved Commander

Patrick Cleburne was a brilliant military tactician and one of
the Confederacy's most able combat officers. Less than two
years after enlisting, he held the rank of major general.

Cleburne fought in the Battle of Shiloh and was wounded
twice during the Kentucky campaign. He saved the Army of
Tennessee at Ringgold Gap. He fought with distinction at
Pickett's Mill and Atlanta. Quiet and soft spoken but with an
undeniable air of authority and competence, Cleburne was
beloved by the men he commanded.

Death in Tennessee
In late 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood turned his
army north and marched into Tennessee. Hours before the
Battle of Franklin on November 30, a somber Patrick
Cleburne
met with his officers. As he parted from his old
friend Daniel Govan, he said, "Govan, if we are to die let us
die like men."

His two horses having been shot one after the other,
Cleburne strode into a hail of shot and shell, his sword aloft,
encouraging his men. Moments later, a Minié ball struck him
just below his heart. Three of his men found his body the
next morning. Patrick Cleburne's war was over.

[Photo captions]
Top right: Gen. Patrick Cleburne at the Battle of Franklin

Middle left: "It would not be hard to die if one could be buried in such a beautiful spot."
Patrick Cleburne to Capt. James Hill
November, 1864
Bottom left: Patrick Cleburne was laid to rest at St. John's Episcopal Church on the Leonidas Polk plantation near Columbia, Tennessee.
In 1871, Cleburne's body was moved to the Confederate Cemetery in Helena.

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Show me all markers in:  Helena-West Helena, AR  |  Phillips County  |  72342  |  Arkansas  |  United States of America

Phillips County's Confederate Soldiers
Patrick Cleburne in Helena
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The T-33 Shooting Star
The American Legion Hut
"We are all the same as dead men"
Arkansas' Mercí Car
Judge Jacob Trieber
Seven Confederate Generals
Civil War Comes to Arkansas

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