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From tlio New Orleans Sunday Time*. Hon. A. H^Stephens. BT MAHT B. BBYAS. A desolating storm of strife has passed, Misery and wronsc have seared a goodly land, Change lias swept OYor it with w ild waves since last In the pale Autumn light. I saw thee stand And heard thy thin lips prophesy of things Now with the awful past, and watched tiiine eye • Darken and deepen, till thy words seemed wings Os mighty omen, shadowing the sky ; While mutterings of disaster and of doom Knelled from the impending years ; until the gloom, Thy trustful spirit pierced with rays of hope ; Shine such to-day upon our horoscope. The temple of our pride la in the dust, The banner of our chivalry i3 furled, And yet, the altar of a nation’s trust Has not been wholly down to ruin hurled ; For still the storm of w-rath has spared us tliee, And mighty spirits like to thine, that stand— Lone pillars o’er the ruins—grand and free, Though scathed by fate, which yet our eyes may see, With gathering faith, that Heaven may save the land Which human power has scourged with ruthless hand. But thou—what hopes are thine ? Oh, thou, to whom Genius unfolded all her promise rare, And to thy spirit gave her eagle plume The heights of thought, the sun of power to dare ; To whom ambition sung her loftiest hymn, Whom fame has crowned with laurels nobly won, Comes there no cloud of disappointment dim Between thy eagle vision and the sun ? No shade of sorrow (yet unstained with shame) That faith to thy sad country through all blame Lost thee the guerdon it was thine to claim, Os place, and power, and an appointed name? The eagle is the eagle still ; liis wing No traitorous thought pollutes; his steadfast eye Fixed on the goal, forever brightening— The sun of truth in heaven’s eternal sky. No meteor goal—applause of changeful men, Or gilded laurels—that brave pinion speeds, And clearer pierces the unclouded ken, And brighter with the memory of good deeds ; For thy fair record of those turbulent years, No sta in of cruelty or error sears. That fierce apotheosis of physical power, When shook the world to trumpets and the tread Os conqueror’s mailed heel. What brought that hour To tliee, calm spirit ? What honors for tliy head ? Gray hairs, that never came trom selfish cares, Wan brows through watching by the dying bed, Wealth spent with thoughtful hand to stay the fears Os widowed mothers wailing for their dead, And trembling for their helpless living. Thine Are deeds that no historic muse may twine, But bright in Heaven’s immortal wreath they shine. The eagle is the eagle still ; his way lies far above the vultures that we see Whetting the beak of selfish greed to-day, Above the carcase of dead Liberty. He recks not of the clamor that they raise ; liis aim is clear, his meed securely won ; Him, with their love, a noble people praise, And miTiisterlnjj breathe “well done.” Ruin is round him, darkness gathers nigh, Yet still he points to stars within the sky. To hope’s pale beam and mercy's watchful eye. Spirit serene, amid the howling storm Os angry faction, and the thunder shock Os change and revolution—steadfast form. Grounded on virtue’s everlasting rock, Alone—yet holding wide the beacon light Os love across a wild, tempestuous age, That passion lashes, error shrouds in night— Stand and upbear our hopes, until the rage And strife are past, and peace shines forth to shed A sunset glory on the honored head. Red River, La. BIOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF MAJ. GEN’L PATRICK R, CLEBURNE. [by GKN. \Y. J. HARDEE.) [concluded.] About this time the terms of enlist ment of the three years’ men began to expire. It was of critical importance to the Southern cause that these men should re -enlist. The greater part of Cleburne’s division consisted of Arkansans and Tex ans, who were separated from their homes by the M ississippi river. This river, patroled by Federal gunboats, was an insuperable barrier to communication. Many of these men had not heard from their homes, and wives, and little ones for three years. To add to this, the occa sional reports received from the Trans- Mississippi were but repeated narratives of the waste and ravage of their homes by the Federal soldiery. No husband could know that his wife was not homeless— no father, that his children were not starving. Every instinct that appeals most powerfully and most sacredly to manhood, called upon these men to re turn to their homes as soon as they could do -o honorably. Cleburne was a man of warm sympathies, and lie felt pro foundly the extent of the sacrifice his men were called upon to make : but, with Roman virtue, lie set high above all other earthly considerations the achieve ment ot Southern independence. He adapted himself to the peculiar conditions of a volunteer soldiery, and, laying aside tiic commander, he appealed to liis men, as a man and a comrade, to give up eve rything else, and stand by the cause and the country. He succeeded in inspiring them with his own high purpose and ex alted patriotism, and the result was the cariy und unanimous re-enlistment of his division. The Confederate Congress pa.-vrd later a conscription Act that re tained the three years’ men in service ; but those whose terms of enlistment ex pired in the interim would meantime have leturned to their homes, and the moral effect of voluntary re-enlistment would have been lost to the cause. Cleburne fully comprehended the dis proportion in the military resources of the North and South, and was the first to point out the only means left the South to recruit her exhausted numbers. In Jan uary, 1864, he advocated calling in the negro population to the aid of Southern arms. He maintained that negroes ac customed to obedience from youth, would, under the officering of their masters, make even better soldiers for the South than they had been proven to make under dif ferent principles of organization for the North. He insisted that it was the duty of Southern people to waive considera tions of property and prejudice of caste, and bring to their aid this powerful aux iliary. He pointed out further that re cruits could obtained on the borders, who would otherwise fall into the hands of the Federal armies, and be converted into soldiers to swell the ranks of our en emies. His proposition met the disfavor of both government and people. A year later it was adopted by Congress, with the approval of the country, when it was too late. The following extract of a note written about this time to a lady, a refugee from Tennessee, in reply to some expressions complimentary to himself, and to a hope expressed for the recovery of Tennessee, is characteristic of the man : “To my noble division, and not to my self, belong the praises for the deeds of gallantry you mention. Whatever we have done, however, has been more than repaid by the generous appreciation of our countrymen. I assure you, I feel the same ardent longing to recover the mag nificent forests and green valleys of mid dle Tennessee that you do; and I live in the hope that God will restore them to our arms. I cannot predict when the time will he, hut I feel that it is certainly in the future. We may have to make still greater sacrifices—to use all the means that God has given us; hut when once our people, or the great body of them, sincerely value independence above every other earthly consideration, then I will regard our success as an accomplished fact. Your friend, P li. Cleburne. In a brief absence from Dalton, with one exception, his only absence during his service, Cleburne formed an attach ment as earnest and true as his own no ble nature. The attachment was re turned with the fervor and devotion of the daughters of the South. Much might be said of this episode—of its ro mantic beginning, and its tragic end ; but the story of the loved and lost, is too sa cred to be unveiled to the public eye. General Bra"’" had been relieved of the command of the Western army, at his own request, after the battle of Missionary Ridge; subsequently General J. E. Johnston was assigned to the command. To the Federal General Sherman was given the command of the armies assembled at Chattanooga for the invasion of Georgia. The campaign opened on the 9tli of May. The history of its military operations, under the conduct of General Johnston, is the record of a struggle against largely superior forces, protracted through a period of seventy days, and extending over a hundred miles of territory. The campaign was characterized by brilliant partial engagements and continuous skir mishing, the aggregate results of which summed up into heavy battles. When the army reached Atlanta, notwithstand ing the discouragements of constant fighting, frequent retreats, and loss of ter ritory, it was with unimpaired organiza tion and morale. In this campaign, Cleburne’s division had two opportunities of winning special distinction. At New Hope Church, on the 27th of May, it formed the right of the army in two lines, the first entrenched. In the afternoon of that day the 4th corps of the Federal army advanced, as if to pass its right. Cleburne promptly broil "lit his two brigades of the second line into the first, extending it to face the Federal advance. This line received the enemy’s attack, made in seven lines, on open ground, with no advantage on our side, except a well chosen position, and, after an obstinate fight of an hour-and-a lialf repulsed it. Cleburne’s troops were not only greatly outnumbered, but were outnumbered by resolute soldiers. At the end of the combat about TUG Fed eral dead lay within thirty or forty feet of liis line. During the action a Federal color-bearer planted his colors within ten paces of Cleburne’s line. He was in stantly killed; a second who took his place shared liis fate ; so with the third and fourth ; the fifth bore off the colors. We read of little more effective fight ing than that of Cheatham’s and Cle burne’s divisions in repelling an assault made upon them by Blair’s corps of the Federal army, on the morning of the 'Jitli ot June, at Kenesaw. The con duct ot the Federal troops on that occa- Mißfflii eg in sion was as resolute as in the instance ; above. When they fell back, more than 300 dead bodies were counted within a few yards of the entrenchments some of them lying against it. Hisloss was two killed and nine wounded, certainly less than Ito 100 of the enemy. On the 18th ! of July, Gen. Johnston was removed from j the Western army, and Gen. Hood pro moted to its command. On the 21st, while the army was occu pying a line encircling the northern front of Atlanta, Cleburne’s division was de tached to oppose an attempt of a corps of the enemy to turn the Confederate right, and penetrate to Atlanta at an undefended point. His troops, newly arrived at the point of attack, had no protection, other than the men provided themselves in the brief time allowed for preparation. They were attacked by large odds, in front and on both flanks. At one time Cleburne’s line was so completely enfiladed, that a single shot of the enemy killed nineteen men in one company. The position was maintained, the enemy repulsed, and At lanta preserved. Cleburne described this as the “bitterest fight” of his life. On the 22d of July, in carrying out a plan of general attack, my corps, consisting then of Cleburne’s and three other div isions, assaulted and carried the en trenched left of the Federal army. The troops opposed to us were McPherson’s army, of which Blair’s corps formed a part. On the 27th of June, Cleburne had repelled an assault of these troops with a loss signally disproportionate. It bears strong testimony to the soldierly qualities of the Confederate troops, that on the 22d of July,they, in positions ex actly reversed, carried works equally strong, manned by the same troops The loss of twenty-seven of about thirty field officers in Cleburne’s division, in this ac tion, attests the gallantry of the officers and the severity of the eonllict. On the 2Gth of August, the Federal commander, Gen. Sherman, commenced to turn the Confederate position at At lanta. A Federal force made a detour, and occupied a position at Jonesboro’, about twenty-five miles south of Atlanta. On the night of the 30th, Gen. Hood, re maining in Atlanta with one corps of his army, sent the remaining two, Lee’s and my own, under my command, to dislodge this force. It was found to consist of three corps, strongly entrenched The attack upon it was unsuccessful- Clo burne commanded my corps in this action, and achieved the only success of the day, the capture of some guns and a portion of the enemy’s works. On the night of the 31st, Gen. Hood withdrew Lee’s corps towards Atlanta, and the Federal commander was reinforced by three ad ditional corps, so that on the morning of the Ist of September, my corps, in which Cleburne had renewed his place as division commander, was confronted by six Fed eral corps. Gen, Sherman had, mean time, arrived on the field, and taken com mand in person. The enemy at once took the offensive. It was of the last ne cessity to secure the safe withdrawal of the remainder of the army from Atlanta, that this Confederate corps should hold its position through the day. The odds were fearful, and the contest that followed was a very trying one; hut the position was held agaiust the attacks made upon it through the day, and the remainder of the army retired in safety from Atlanta. Cleburne’s services were highly valuable in the operations of this and iy. In the fall and winter of 1864, Gen. Hood marched into Tennessee. In this campaign, at the battle of Franklin, November the 30th, Cleburne fell at the head of his division. He was one of thirteen general officers killed or disabled in the c combat. He had impressed upon his offi cers the necessity of carrying the posi tion he had been ordered to attack, a very strong one, at all cost. The troops knew from fearful experience of their own. and their enemies, what it was to assault such works. To encourage them, Cle burne led them in person to the ditch of the opposing line. There, rider and horse, each pierced by a score of bullets, fell dead agaiust the reverse of the enemy’s works. The death of Cleburne cast a deep gloom over the arm)’ and the country Eight millions of people, whose hearts had learned to thrill at his name, now mourned his loss, and felt there was none to take his place. The division with which his fame was identified merits more parlicular attention. It was worthy of him, and he had made it so. Its numbers were made up, and its honors were shared by citizens of fiver communities—Arkan sas, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. In it was also one regiment of Irishmen, who, on every field, illus trated the characteristics of the race that furnishes the world with soldiers. No one of its regiments but bore upon its colors the significant device of the “crossed cannon inverted,” and the name of each battle in which it had been engaged. Prior to the battle of Shiloh, a blue bat tle fi ag had been adopted by me for this division ; and when the Confederate bat tle flag became the national colors, Cle burne's division, at its urgent request, was allowed to retain its own bullet-rid dled battle flags This was the only divi sion in the Confederate service allowed to carry into action other than the national colors ; and friends and foes soon learned to watch the course of the blue flag that marked where Cleburne was in the bat tle. Where this division defended, no odds broke its lines ; where it attacked, no numbers resisted its onslaught, save only once—there is the grave of Cleburne and his heroic division. In this sketch of Cleburne there has been no intention of disparaging, by omission or otherwise, the merits ard services of other officers and troops, some of which are eminently worthy of commemoration ; but the limits of a sketch, personal in its character, and giving a bare outline of the military operations with which the subject of it was connected, necessarily preclude an account of the services, however great, of others, even when rendered in the same action. Cleburne, at ihe time of his death, was about 37 years of age. He was above the medium height, about 6 feet 11 inches, and though without striking personal ad vantages, would have arrested attention L oin a close observer as a man of mark. His hair, originally black, became grey under, the cares and fatigues of cam paigning. His eyes, a clear steel-grey in color, were cold and abstracted usually, hut beamed genially in seasons of social intercourse, and blazed fiercely in mo ments of excitement. A good sized and well-shaped head, prominent features, slightly aquiline nose, thin, greyish whis kers worn on the lip and chin, and an ex pression of countenance, when in repose, rather indicative ot a man of thought than action, completes the picture. His manners were distant and reserved to strangers, hut frank and winning among friends. His mind was of a highly logi cal cast. Before expressing an opinion upon a subject, or coming to a decision in any conjecture of circumstances, he wore an expression as if solving a mathe matical proposition. The conclusion, when reached, was always stamped with mathematical correctness. He was as modest as a woman, but not wanting in that fine ambition which ennobles men. Simple in his tastes and habits, and ut terly regardless of personal comfort he was always mindful of the comfort, and well are of his troops. An incident which occurred at Atlanta illustrates his habit ual humanity to prisoners. A captured federal officer was deprived of his hat and blankets by a needy soldier of Cle burne’s command, and Cleburne, failing to detect the offender or to recover the pro perty, sent the officer a hat of his own, and his only pair of blankets. Among his attachments was a very strong one lor his Ad jutant-General, Cap tain Irving A. Buck, a hoy in years, but a man in all soldierly qualities, who for nearly two years of the war, shared Cle burne’s labors during the day and his blankets at nigh}. lie was also much attached to his youngest brother, who was killed in one ot Morgan’s fights in Southwestern Vir ginia. .1 his brother inherited the brave qualities that belonged to tlie name, and alter being promoted from the ranks for “distinguished gallantry,” fell in a charge at the head of liis regiment. . Cleburne had accent enough to betray liis Irish birth. This accent, percepti ble in oi dinary conversation, grew in times of excitement into a strongly marked brogue. He was accustomed to refer to Ireland as the “old country/’and always in the tune ot a son speaking of an ab sent mother. He possessed considerable powers of wit and oratory, the national heritage of the Irish people; but his wit perhaps characterised by the stern in fluences that had surrounded liis life was rather grim than humorous. He had a rnaiked literary turn, and was singu larly well versed in the British poets. Indeed, he had at one period of his life woed the muse himself, and with no incon siderable success, as was evidenced by some fragments of liis poetical labors which he had preserved. It was known that he had a brother in the Federal army, but he seldom men tioned his name, and never without clas sifying him with the mass of the Irish who had espoused the Federal cause, of whom lie always spoke in terms of strong indignation. His high integrity revolted at the want of consistency and morality shown in the in the course of that class of Irish, who, invoking the sympathies of the world in behalf of “oppressed Ire j land, ” gave the powerful aid of their arms j to enslave another people. Cleburne’s remains were buried after j the battle of Franklin, and yet rest in | the Polk Cemetery, near Columbia, Ten -1 nessee. Generals Cranberry and Strahl, brave comrades who fell in the same ac tion, were buried at his side. On the march to Franklin,, a few days before his death, Cleburne halted at this point, and in one of the gentle moods of the man, that sometimes softened the mien of the soldier, gazed a moment in silence upon the scene, and turning to some members of his staff said, “it almost worth dying to rest in so sweet a spot.” It was in remembrance of these words that their suggestion was carried out in the (hoice ot his burial place. In this cemetery is set apart a division called the “Bishop’s corner.” Here were buried the remains of the late Right Bev. Bishop Otey of Tennessee—here are to be placed the ashes of the heroic Bishop General Leonidas Polk, and here is is purposed that the tombs of the future Bishops of Tennessee shall be ranged be side these illutrious names. In this spot, where nature has lavished her wealth of grace and beauty, in ground consecrated by the dust of illustrious patriots, church men, and warriors—in the bosom of the State he did so much to defend, within whose borders he first guided his charging lines to victory, and on whose soil he finally yielded to the cause the last and all a patriot soldier can give—rests what was mortal of Patrick uleburne, and will rest until his adopted State shall claim his ashes, and raise above, them monumental honors to the virtues of her truest citizen, her noblest champion, her greatest sol dier. Cleburne had often expressed the hope that he might not survive the indepen dence of the South. Heaven heard the prayer, and spared him this pang, lie fell before the banner he had so often guided to victory.was furled—before the people he fought for were crushed—be fore the cause lie loved was lost. Two continents now claim his name ; eight millions of people revere his mem ory ; two great communities raise monu ments to his virtues—and history will take up his fame, and hand it down to time for exampling, wherever a courage without stain, a manhood without blemish, an integrity that knew no compromise, and a patriotism that withheld no sacri fice, are honored of mankind. Selma, Alabama, May 1, 1867. Death of Judge W. M. Semple.— A large number of our readers will hear with surprise of the death of this well known journalist, though his health had long been failing, anil to the mind of every one who knew him, the event eon Id not long be postponed. The de ceased was a native of Fredericksburg, Va. He had studied civil engineering, as well as been admitted to the bar, and, besides holding a public office, had con ducted journals in Fredericksburg and Lynchburg, For a long time lie was the Washington correspondent for a number of leading journals, and was well versed to the day of his death in the political news and gossip of that capital, lie came to this city a year before the war, and wrote with marked ability the leading ed itorials of the New Orleans Orescent. At the time of the capture of New Or leans, by the Federal fleet, he left the city to- go into the Confederacy, and there contracted the seeds of a disease from which he never fully recovered. Affected by ill health and the failure of the Confederate cause, Judge Semple never appeared quite the same man after his return to the city, and only showed in his declining days the talents and force of which he was naturally possessed. His old friends missed the bonhommie which led him to readily enter into accustomed amusements; his temper had become despondent, and he frequented the society of only a few old friends. But to the last he showed himself a man of hiffh honor—steady-in his convictions and prin ciples, as well as his prejudices, and al ways incapable of a mercenary or a mean act His funeral will take place to-day at 10 o’clock, from No. —Caroudelet street, when all that is mortal of a worthy man will be transferred to the keeping of the tomb.— X. O. Times, April 11 th. Presentation of a Testimonial to Mr. John Martin —About a week ago Mr. Martin paid a visit to Manchester, in order to complete the necessary inquiries as to the claims of the various sufferers for whose benefit this appeal was made, when a number of friends at Manchester took advantage of the opportunity, and presented Mr. Martin with a most touch ing address. Mr. Martin made a most feeding reply, and in the course of his observations he alluded to the fact that out of a population of 100,000 Irish people in Manchester, they did not pos sess a suitable building in the shape of an atheneum or other similar institution de voted to Irishmen. [ l nicer sat Xews, March 21. When you hear a man say “Life is but a dream,” tread on his corns and wake him up. Life is real. 5 1