Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War

by Craig L. Symonds

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0700609342
• ISBN13: 9780700609345
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: University Press of Kansas
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 3.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Always an admirer of Cleburne

A great telling of a great man

A neglected hero gets his due

Had Patrick Cleburne fought in the Army of Northern Virginia instead of the Army of Tennessee, we surely would be overwhelmed with biographies of his greatness as a general. Because he was a general officer in the Army of Tennessee - the army most Southern writers have traditionally ignored and treated as the red headed step child of the Confederacy, there are far fewer books on him than his accomplishments would seem to warrant. Fortunately, Mr. Symonds has written an excellent biography of the general which puts his impressive accomplishments into perspective and begins to give this extraordinary fighting general his due. The main focus of Symonds' work is on Cleburne the general, but he gives enough background of his youth in Ireland and his migration to and adoption of America as his new home to sketch what shaped his character and what motivated him to fight in the Southern cause. Cleburne emerges as an immigrant eager to assimilate and make the customs and mores of his new home his own; a man grateful for the opportunities and acceptance he received in Arkansas, and genuinely, if uncritically, committed to fighting for the cause of his adopted home. Symonds also addresses Cleburne's role within the morass of intrigue that plagued the command structure of the Army of Tennessee. He shows Cleburne to have been one of the anti Bragg cartel, not as a primary mover, but because of his loyalty to his friend and mentor General Hardee (a principle Bragg opponent), and perhaps even more so because of his habit of candor that showed little regard for political expediency. This was damaging to his career, and perhaps among the principle reasons why he was never promoted above division commander, despite the fact that he was the brightest shining star in the army. He likewise touches on Cleburne's remarkable plan to enlist slaves in the Confederate army - offering freedom to any man and his family who would fight for the South. While Cleburne's reasoning showed clarity and logic, his judgment in presenting the plan to his fellow Southern officers showed amazing naiveté and foolhardiness, and further damaged his hopes for promotion. But the reason there is a biography of Cleburne is the battles. Symonds traces them from his first minor engagements, through Shiloh, his first major battle, all the way to the final tragic, futile charge at Franklin. He shows how Cleburne's skills as a general developed; from simply a brave and bold leader without any great military skill at Shiloh, to an outstanding commander of men who creatively defended against overwhelming odds at Chattanooga, and became the armies designated rearguard, repeatedly saving it from destruction.. Symonds biography of Cleburne is well written and engaging. It makes a good beginning in putting General Patrick Cleburne back into his rightful place in the pantheon of Southern heroes. If you are a serious student of the Civil War, you should not consider your library complete without a copy. I

CLEBURNE Of The West

This is a very good book. Patrick Cleburne is my favorite civil war general, and this volume gives a very even-handed discussion of his life, from Ireland to Franklin, Tenn. In particular, it gives considerable space to his growth as a leader. The discussions of Shiloh and Franklin are very good, and understandable. The book gives attention to the General's private life, especially his tragic engagement to Miss Tarleton. In depth but not dry or overwhelming, STONEWALL OF THE WESTis a great introduction to this Commander of the often overlooked western theater!

One of the South's finest generals

Quite simply, one of the finest biographies it has ever been my pleasure to read. Craig Symonds does a magnificent job in re-telling a story that all Civil War followers, particualry those of a Southern persuasion, should read.After serving a short term in the British Infantry, Patrick Ronayne Cleburne travelled over from his native Ireland (to correct one earlier reviewer's mistake - Cleburne was an Irish Protestant, not Catholic!) to settle in Arkansas and make a successful life for himself. He became a high-ranking member of the local masonic institute and did extremely well in business. When his adopted state seceded and went to war he did the only thing his conscience would allow and volunteered to fight alongside his friends and neighbours. His talent was quickly recognised and he would eventually reach the rank of Major General. He would (and should ) have gone even higher but his call for the south to free and arm its slaves won him many enemies. In time even Robert E. Lee would come to agree with what Cleburne had earlier advocated but by then it was too late for the Confedracy.The one thing that comes shining through in this excellent book is Cleburne's practical battleground genius. He inspired confidence in his men and never failed them. His division performed consistently in fight after fight and must be considered to be one of the very best that saw conflict in the entire war. History does not treat bad commanders well and it is a measure of Cleburne's reputation and stature that so many have called him the "Stonewall of the West".I thoroughly enjoyed Symonds' style of writing. He covers all of the angles and gives all of the necessary information but he never allows the book to become bogged down in needless detail and that allows for a brisk pace to be set, which often leads to you not being able to put the book down for long periods of time. He should be very proud of what he has achieved here. I have four written volumes on the life and military career of Patrick Cleburne and this is, IMHO, the best of all. I shall be checking out other books written by Craig Symonds.For many years Cleburne was something of a forgotten hero, possibly because he fought for the hard luck Army of Tennessee, and partly because history tends to ignore the Western part of the Civil War and stick to the the better known Eastern theatre. In recent times though there does seem to have been a greater awareness of the fight in the west and therefore it is inevitable that Cleburne's name will come to the fore. He was a remarkable man and a remarkable soldier and this book does justice to his life and achievements.To conclude this review I will make a small confession. I was so moved by the final chapter, covering Cleburne's futile death in the terrible carnage at the Battle of Franklin, that I almost started to cry. It was a close run thing as the tears welled up in my eyes, but I just managed to keep them back. If we hadn't have had guests in the house at

A Great Bio

This is a terrific bio of Cleburne. It is well-written, informative, and a joy to read. It follows Cleburne from childhood to his death at Franklin. I was very happy to see that Symonds focused on what Cleburne and his troops were doing at each of the various battles they were at rather than writing on what the army as a whole was doing. Also there have been other bios of Civil War generals in which I thought the background info was kind of boring, but in this case that is very different. Symonds' description of Cleburne's days in Ireland, emigrating to the U.S., and his days living in Arkansas before the outbreak of the war were very interesting. To summarize I would just say this is a well-written, interesting, informative read. With this book and Symonds' bio of J.E. Johnston, I think Symonds has cemented himself as one of the best Civil War biography writers today.

Thoughtful and insightful biography of this overlooked man

This biography was an enjoyable read on several levels. First of all, if you are a Civil War or Confederate history buff, this book describes the military training, battles and other maneuvers which took place during that conflict. If you are simply someone who enjoys a good work of history or a sensitive, well-crafted biography, then this book is also for you. (I consider myself more in the latter category, at least initially.) "Stonewall of the West" gives the reader a finely detailed portrait of Patrick Cleyburne, the conditions he fled in 1840s Ireland, the adjustments he had to make on the American frontier, his attempts at assimilation into Southern society and his tragic and ultimately unconsummated romance with a local Southern belle. I found it particularly poignant to learn that at least one of Cleburne's siblings settled "upriver" from him in Union territory and ended up supporting the opposite side during the Civil War. Cleburne's story as a soldier and commander has perhaps been overlooked because, for Southerners, he was not "really one of us" insofar as he was Irish. In addition, Cleburne's moral courage in proposing that the slaves be freed, organized into military units and sent into battle won him many enemies in the South even though some time later Jefferson Davis and other Southern leaders, in a fit of desperation late in the war, would propose precisely them same thing. Cleburne was never really forgiven for "breaking ranks" and making such a brilliant and creative suggestion, I think. My sense from the book is that Southerners ostracized him for his independence as an outspoken commander and strategic thinker. Also, Cleburne's bravery in speaking out against less talented and/or incompetent Confederate generals and commanders when it would have been infinitely more politic for him to remain silent also served to win him political enemies. Alas, Cleburne's fate is too often the fate of all those who "don't play by the r! ules" and toady up to those in power! It is tragic that Cleburne's story has been overlooked by Civil War historians for so long. This book does credit to this fine Irish-Confederate original! The book ends on a sad note as Cleburne is shot down in one of the last battles of the Civil War with Hood's army in Tennessee. (Incidentally, you will not like Hood after reading the final chapters of this book.) Cleburne's fiance marries another and then herself dies in an epidemic not too long after the end of the war. Many of Cleburne's letters are lost and apparently his family in the North entirely forgets him as his grave lies forgotten for many years. My thanks to the author for resurrecting this important personage!