Patrick Ronayne Cleburne (/ ˈkleɪbɜrn / KLAY-burn; March 16 or 17, 1828 - November 30, 1864 ) is an American soldier of Irish descent, mostly known for his service as a Confederate army general during the American Civil War . Kleiburn was born in Ireland and served in the 41st Welsh Infantry Regiment. In 1849 he emigrated to the United States. At the beginning of the Civil War, he joined the Confederate army as an ordinary and rose to the rank of division commander. He participated in many battles in the West, where he received the nickname "Stone Wall of the West" [1] . He died in 1864 at the Battle of Franklin .
| Patrick Ronane Clayburn | |
|---|---|
| English Patrick Ronayne Cleburne | |
 | |
| Date of Birth | March 16, 1828 |
| Place of Birth | Owens , County Cork , Ireland |
| Date of death | November 30, 1864 (36 years old) |
| Place of death | Franklin , Tennessee |
| Affiliation |  Great Britain KSA |
| Type of army | British army CSA Army |
| Years of service | 1846-1849 (British) 1861-1864 (KSA) |
| Rank | corporal (Great Britain) Major General (KSA) |
| Battles / wars | U.S. Civil War
|
The early years
Kleiburn was born in the village of Owens , County Cork, Ireland, and was the second son of Joseph Kleibern - a physician of Anglo-Irish descent. Patrick's mother died when he was 18 months old, and at 15 he became an orphan. Like his father, he began to study medicine, but in 1846 he could not enter Dublin Trinity College . Then he enrolled in the 41st Infantry Regiment of the British Army, where he rose to the rank of corporal.
Three years later, Kleiburn left the army and emigrated to the United States with two brothers and a sister. He spent some time in Ohio, then settled in Helen (Arkansas), where he found a pharmacist job. Here he became friends with Thomas Hindman, and in 1855 they began to publish the newspaper "Democratic Star". In 1856, Kleiburn and Hindman were wounded in a street shootout by members of the "nativist" Know Nothing group (members of this organization believed that only a Protestant of Anglo-Saxon descent could be considered a true American). Kleiburn was wounded in the back, but managed to turn around and shoot the attacker. By 1860, Kleiburn was already a U.S. citizen, practicing lawyer, and famous person in his city.
Civil War
When the confrontation between the North and the South began, Patrick took the side of the South. He acted on the basis of sympathy for the people of the south who accepted him into their society. He joined the local militia ("Yell Rifles") and was soon elected captain. When Arkansas left the Union, the Yell Rifles became part of the 1st Arkansas Infantry Regiment, then the 15th Infantry Regiment, and Kleiburn was elected commander of the regiment. March 4, 1862 he was awarded the rank of brigadier general.
The Kleibern brigade consisted of 6 regiments: the 15th Arkansas, 6th Mississippi, 2nd, 5th, 23rd and 24th Tennessee. During the Battle of Shiloh, she was included in the Hardy Corps, which was advancing in the first line. Kleiburn was on the left flank of the corps and he had to attack the positions of the federal division of General Sherman , who took up defense behind an impassable ravine. The first attack was repelled with heavy losses, and only with the support of Bragg's corps did Sherman succeed.
At the battle of Richmond, he was wounded in the face. He also participated in the battle of Perryville . After the army retreated to Tennessee, Kleiburn was promoted to a division commander and in this position participated in the Battle of Stone River , where his division overturned the federal right flank. December 13, Kleibern was awarded the title of Major General.
Kleiburn took part in the 1863 campaign in Tennessee. His soldiers fought at Chikamog, where without serious success attacked the left flank of the enemy. He fought well at Vauhatchi, successfully repulsed Sherman's attacks during the battle for the Missionary Ridge near Chatanuga, as well as in the battle of Ringold-Gap in northern Georgia. During the Battle of Jonesboro, Corps General William Hardy handed over control of his entire corps to Kleiburn.
Kleiburn received an official gratitude from Congress for participating in this campaign.
Kleiburn was able to correctly use the terrain and was able to maintain even the most disadvantageous position. He knew how to create problems for maneuvers of the enemy army, which brought him fame and the nickname "Stonewall of the West." It is said that federal soldiers were afraid to see the blue flag of Kleibern’s division on the battlefield [2] . General Robert Lee said that Kleiburn is like a “meteor shining from a cloudy sky” [3] .
Doom
Before the start of the 1864 campaign, Clayburn was engaged to Susan Tarleton of Mobile (Alabama). Their wedding never took place, as Kleiburn was killed during the attack near Franklin on November 30, 1864. The last time he was seen walking on the side of the federal fortifications, with a saber raised, after the horse died under him. They later said that his body was found already behind the line of enemy fortifications and carried to the rear. Allegedly, death came from a bullet hit in the stomach or heart.
His remains were transferred to the St. John’s Episcopal Church near Mount Pleasant in Tennessee. Kleiburn first saw this place when he marched to Franklin. He then noticed that he would like to be buried here, because this place is beautiful and reminds him of Ireland. In 1870, his remains were transferred to Helena (Arkansas) and buried in Maple Hill Sementeri near the Mississippi River.
Several places were named after Kleibern, including Kleibern County in Alabama and Arkansas, and the city of Kleibern in Texas. The place of his death at Franklin is now known as Kleibern Park. Patrick-Clayburn-Confederate-Cementery Cemetery in Jonesboro, Georgia is also named after Kleiben.
Notes
- ↑ By analogy with General Jackson-Stone-Wall
- ↑ Reynolds, John Hugh. Makers of Arkansas History. New York: Silver, Burdett and Co., 1905. S. 244-247
- ↑ a meteor shining from a clouded sky