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For the Kennesaw Gazette.
GENERAL P. R. CLEBURNE.
A Sketch of His Early Life and
His Last Battle.
The career of Gen. Cleburne was
one so notable in the annals of Confed
erate arms, his ability as a command
er has been so much admired both by
friend and foe, that his history is a
matter of general interest. Very er
roneous impressions have existed in re
gard to his early life. The idea is not
uncommon, nor bounded by any ge
ographical line, that he was a coarse
and ignorant Irishman, who rose from
the spade to the sword by sheer force
of brute courage, while statements
have been circulated in the newspa
pers in regard to his early life and the
manner of his death at his last battle
widely at variance with the real facts.
The writer is not unaware that a
reaction from the lower view of Cle
burne’s origin and success has led some
to trace his lineage to the nobility, if
not royal blood, of England. If this
is true, Cleburne’s own lips never
breathed it to intimate and trusted
friends, while his oldest brother and
his sister, who have contributed in a
most intelligent manner, facts of his
early history for this article, an 1 who
quoted a work on the “Irish Landed
Gentry,” to substantiate their state
ments in regard to the family lineage
and ancestry, seem to be ignorant of
it.
A LONG PERSONAL INTIMACY
with Gen. Cleburne, which culminated
in a law-partnership before the war,
and a position on his staff during the
war, enables the writer to speak with
authority on many points, and, while
his praise can place no new laurels on
his tomb, it can lay a heartfelt trib
ute there.
Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was born
in Ireland, ten miles west from the
city of Cork, on Saint Patrick’s Day,
March 17, 1828. His father was a
popular physician, who made a com
fortable living by the practice of his
profession, and spent it too freely for
the acquisition of wealth, in his favor
ite pursuit of amateur farming.
His mother’s name was Mary Anne
Ronayne, and the subject of this sketch
was named after her father, Patrick
Ronayne, Esq., of the Great Island,
Cork. Dr. Cleburne was descended
from an old Tipperary family of Eng
lish and Quaker stock which settled
in Ireland in the time of Cromwell.
He was a man of education, a gradu
ate of the best colleges of medicine
and surgery, and through life was held
in respect and affection by the people
among whom he lived. Mrs. Cleburne
died when Patrick was about a year
old, but the child never lacked the
kind ministrations and gentle love
of a mother, for Dr. Cleburne's second
marriage to the daughter of a Scotch
clergyman, named Stuart, was a hap
py one, and all the children of the first
marriage received a motherly care and
affection from this excellent lady.
Patrick was an especial favorite of hers
and she was always remembered by
him with veneration.
The family resulting from these two
marriages consisted of seven, three by
the first wife and four by the second.
Os these, Joseph, issue of the first mar
riage, died of yellow fever contracted
on the west coast of Africa during a
voyage; and Christopher, issue of the
second marriage, fell gallantly as Cap
tain in the Second Kentucky cavalry
of Morgan’s commandhat the battle of
Cloyd’s Farm, May 10, 1864, in the
twenty-first year of his age. The rest,
with the exception of Patrick, still
survive and live in this country, Wil-
liam, the oldest and own brother at
Omaha, Nebraska, being Engineer of
the Oregon Short Line, and Anne,
own sister, now Mrs. Sherlock, for
merly of Cincinnati, Ohio,
Young Cleburne received instruc
tion at home from a tutor till he was
twelve years of age, and was then sent
to a school kept in the neighborhood
by a Rev. Mr. Spedden, a clergyman
of the Established church. This in
structor seems to have been a man of
harsh measures and forbidding man
ners. So far, at least, as Patrick Cle
burne was concerned, he was thus re
membered, and his efforts at instilling
a knowledge of the classics met with
poor success.
When Patrick was sixteen years of
age, his father died, and, feeling the
necessity of looking out for some avo
cation in life, he turned his attention
towards the
PROFESSION OF A DRUGGIST,
and apprenticed himself to a Mr. Jus
tin, who lived and dispensed drugs in
the little town of Mallow, near by.
Having acquired as he thought, suffi
cient knowledge of the business at this
school, he aspired to a higher flight in
his profession, and applied for an exam
ination in Apothecaries’ Hall, Trinity
College, Dublin. This examination
included Latin and Greek, which his
soul hated, as well as Chemistry,
which he regarded much more favora
bly. He failed in the examination,
and his sensitive nature was so filled
with mortification over the result that
he surreptitiously
ENLISTED IN THE FORTY-FIRST
regiment of infantry, then stationed
in Dublin, hoping that the general ex
pectation of its being ordered on for
eign service would prove true, and he
would thus bury himself and his sup
posed disgrace from the eyes of his
family.
For a year or more he kept himself
concealed, but was one day recognized
by a Captain Pratt, whose father was
rector of the parish in which Dr.
Cleburne lived.
This secured him a friend; but the
regiment not having been ordered
out of the country, life in barracks
was very monotonous, while promo
tion was very slow. He had been
promoted to be lance corporal, but,
having been entrusted with a prisoner
who by some means escaped, he was
reduced a degree. At all events, the
young soldier became weary of the
dull routine, and turned his thoughts
TO THE NEW WORLD
across the water, where adventurous
spirits would find wider scope of op
portunities, and more congenial sur
roundings. Captain, afterwards Gen
eral, Pratt, distinguished in India and
the Crimea, urgently opposed his with
drawal from a military life, recognizing,
even then, in the young subaltern, ele
ments of future success in arms.
But Cleburne was immovable, pur
chased his discharge through the inter
vention of his family, and, in com
pany with his brothers William and
Christopher, and his sister Anne, took
passage in the bark Bridgetown, and
sailed from the harbor of Queenstown,
November 11, 1849.
On the following Christmas day, he
entered the mouth of the Mississippi
river. The immigrants had valuable
letters of introduction to influential
persons, but Cleburne disdained the
use of these. It was a principle of
his, always maintained and often ex
pressed, that a man must depend on
himself, not his friends, to ruake his
way in the world; and, leaving his
party in New Orleans, he went at
once to Cincinnati, and there engaged
in business on Broadway with a drug
gist named Salter.
THE KENNESAW GAZETTE.
At a later day, being induced by
more remunerative prospects, he left
Cincinnati and
LOCATED IN HELENA,
Arkansas. He commenced his career
there as a prescription clerk in the
drug store of Grant & Nash. In a
year or two he bought Grant’s interest,
and the firm of Nash & Cleburne was
formed. Devoting himself to study,
not only in the line of his profession,
but also in general literature he very I
soon attracted the notice of the best i
citizens by his sterling qualities, and
numbered them among his friends.
He was particularly
FOND OF ORATORY,
and became a conspicuous member of
literary and debating societies. As
the orator of the day at a Masonic
celebration in 1854, he achieved
considerable local distinction, and
finally, under the advice of friends,
as well as the pressure of his own in
clinations, he abandoned his old busi
ness and turned his attention to law.
He began the study of this profession
in the law office of Hon. T. B. Hanly;
in due course of time was admitted to
the bar, and in 1856 formed a law
partnership with Mark AV. Alexander,
under the title of Alexander & ('le
burne.
It was about this time that an oc
currence took place which Cleburne
always looked upon with regret, but
which he was unable to avert, and
which serves to illustrate the coolness
and fearlessness of the man. In the
violent political contest between the
Democratic and Know-Nothing parties
T. C. Hindman was a noted speaker
and leader on the side of the Demo
crats, and Dorsey Rice a bitter parti
san on the Know-Nothing side. The
controversy became personal between
these two, and threatened serious re
sults. On a certain day, when a hos
tile encounter seemed imminent be
tween them and their friends on both
sides, a strong effort was made by sev
eral citizens to bring about an adjust
ment, and towards noon these efforts
appeared to have been successful. The
principals had been kept apart, and
friends were busy with both to smoothe
the matter over.
At the dinner hour, Hindman in
vited Cleburne to go and dine with
him at the hotel. While on their
way Dorsey Rice came suddenly upon
them, leveled his pistol at Hindman’s
breast, and fired. Hindman was
wounded, but immediately drew his
pistol and returned the fire. Cleburne,
stepping aside, drew his pistol, and,
without firing or raising it, stood look
ing on to see that no friend of Rice
should interfere. At this instant Ja
mison Rice, brother of Dorsey, fired
at Cleburne, the ball taking effect in
his body and passing entirely through
it from one side to another. Feeling
the pain on the side where the ball
lodged, he turned his eye in that di
rection and saw James Marriott, Dor
sey Rice’s brother-in-law, standing pis
tol in hand. Almost mortally wounded
as he was, he coolly raised his pistol,
took aim, and shot Marriott, his sup
posed assailant, dead. Cleburne then
fell himself, and was carried to his
home by friends, where he lingered
along time between life and death,
but finally recovered.
In 1859 the writer was associated
with Cleburne in the practice of law,
and the firm of Cleburne, Scaile &
Mangum was formed.
Cleburne was
A SUCCESSFUL LAWYER.
He commanded a good practice and
was held in respect by the court and
bar, while his hold upon the hearts of
the people was still deeper. His pop
ularity<with the masses came to him
was the natural result
of his own deep sympathy with hu
manity. Kindness was natural to
him and made every sufferer his
brother.
In 1855, when Helena was visited
with a terrible scourge of yellow fever
and nearly all who could forsook their
homes to escape contagion, Cleburne
remained and busied himself with
nursing the sick, burying the dead, and
helping the poor.
Another remarkable trait of his
character, and probably the most re
markable of all, was his courage. H?
impressed all with whom he came in
contact, as being one of those few of
whom it may be said truly, he did not
know what fear was. His heart never
quailed at any odds or any danger.
The most quiet of men and incapable
of bravado, he was grand in the en
ergy of his anger when aroused, quick
as lightning in execution, and indif
ferent to all consequences.
He was a moral and upright man,
despised a mean action, and was bound
by his honor and conscience in all
things. An Episcopalian in religious
faith, he was for a succession of years
chosen as vestryman in St. John’s
church, Helena.
He was proud and sensitive, and for
that reason appeared sometimes to be
reserved, sometimes embarrassed, in
general society. He lived much in
himself. It is said of him that as a
boy he preferred his dog or rod or gun
to the association of his playmates,
and as a man he often sought solitude.
It was the charm of silence that lay in
the forest and in the stream which
drew him so often to their dim recesses
out of the hum of human tongues and
the noise of cities. He was a man of
but few friendships. At heart he was
the friend of the world ; in intimacy
he invited only one here and there
across the sacred, inner boundaries
of the soul.
In the army he formed a sincere at
tachment for all his brigadier generals,
Polk and Lowrey and Govan and
Granberry. He admired Hardee. He
relied on Cheatham.
He had the highest personal esteem
for General John C. Brown, and the
origin of this regard is worthy of nar
ration. The army of Tennessee, re
treating from Middle Tennessee to
Chattanooga, camped at what was
then University Station, now Sewanee.
The order of march for the day was
as follows: Hardee’s corps in front,
with Cleburne’s division leading.
Positive orders were issued for no
troops to precede him. Early in the
morning, as he filed his division into
the road, he found a brigade marching
in front. Going to the head of the
brigade, he asked for the commander.
General Brown, whom Cleburne had
never met, answered that he was.
Cleburne, in a peremptory manner,
ordered him to halt his brigade till he
had passed with his division, and re
buked him for disobedience of orders,
in a tone that brooked no reply, and
bordered on insult. On returning to
the head of his division he met Gen
eral Hardee, who informed him that
he had changed the original order of
march by putting Brown’s brigade in
front. Cleburne, without saying a
word, galloped back to Brown, and, in
the presence and hearing of those who
had witnessed the previous meeting,
offered an apology in earnest and am
ple terms for the strong words he had
used under a misconception. This
was the
BEGINNING OF A FRIENDSHIP
between these two brave men which
was cemented on many a future occa
sion, and terminated only by death.
Cleburne was noted for his correct
judgment of character. He read men
withj?omarkablej]uickness and accu-