A Southern Missive

Patrick Cleburne: The Stonewall of the West

This post resulted from a series I’m writing, Confederate Generals: Texas Legacy. Not too far from Texomaland where I write articles for my Civil War column, TGIF Weekend Bandit, is the little town of Cleburne, Texas. Cleburne is the county seat of Johnson County. The town was named after Irish-Arkansas general, Patrick Cleburne, known as the Stonewall of the West. After the Civil War, many soldiers who had loved and served under Cleburne found themselves on the wagon roads and cattle trails in this locale and they decided to name the new town in Cleburne’s honor. You can read more about the history of the town of Cleburne here:

There are many sources of information on this general (who by the way, was one of the first to call for the enlistment of black Southerners), but perhaps the best source of information is from the Patrick Cleburne Society, whose site is here:

When the war began he enlisted with the Confederacy. His leadership and soldier abilities were quickly recognized, and he rose through the ranks from private to brigadier general.

This site also says this of Cleburne’s military ability: “Cleburne achieved lasting military fame for his defense of Tunnel Hill on Missionary Ridge in Tennessee and at the Battle of Ringgold Gap in North Georgia. His brilliant tactical command in the use of his small force, and strategic utilization of terrain remain among the most compelling in military history to study.”

Unfortunately, due to Hood’s incompetent leadership at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, Cleburne was one of six Southern generals to die. His last words, inscribed on a plaque at the Franklin battlefield were: “If we’re to die, let us die like men.” Cleburne died, leaving behind his recent fiancee and a testimony to the courage and character of so many Confederate leaders.

Jed Marum, who in my opinion is the best writer of Confederate songs in the country, wrote a great song about General Patrick Cleburne. It is a song I sometimes perform in my own Civil War show. It is entitled, “The Stonewall of the West.” Here are the lyrics:

He left his native Ireland
His fortune for to find
He sailed across to America
Beyond the ocean wide
As a soldier he proved bold and true
Stood tall among the rest
His name was Patrick Cleburne
The Stonewall of the west

He made his home in Arkansas
‘til eighteen sixty one
He swore allegiance to the South
When the conflict had begun
But the fury that awaited him
He scarcely could have guessed
But Cleburne was a mighty man
The Stonewall of the West

He found himself in Tennessee
In eighteen sixty four
The Confederate Army was nearly spent
And couldn’t stand much more
General Hood, only God knows why,
He put them to the test
Well, if we’re to die, let us die like men
Said the Stonewall of the West

‘Twas on that sad November day
That Cleburne met his fate
The rebels were outnumbered
And the field they could not take
As he led his men through the hail of fire
A bullet pierced his breast
And Ireland called home the soul
Of the Stonewall of the West

Many a brave man died that day
On the bloody Franklin ground
The smell of death hung in the air
The bodies lay all around
Six southern generals lost their lives
But none as sorely missed
As Cleburne, the pride of Erin
The Stonewall of the West
You can (and should) purchase Jed’s CD containing this song. The CD is entitled, Cross Over the River. You can look at it and purchase it here:

The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke: A Short Review

This morning, I’m on my way to do storytelling and sign books at the Highland Games at Jackson, Louisiana. I should have a grand time. This is my first trip to this festival. You’ll hear more on my trip later. Now, I wanted to post a short review of The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke, a novel I just finished yesterday. Burke, an award-winning author with over twenty published novels to his credit, has always intrigued me. Here is a man who truly knows how to write. Possessing a unique style of writing, he spins metaphors and similes one after another in a masterful fashion. Burke’s novels are full of historical and law enforcement details, revealing he is a careful researcher. This is the first Dave Robicheaux novel, and with this Cajun detective, Burke has created a life so intricate and fascinating that I’m sure a biography could be be written on him, just as someone did on the fictional Sherlock Holmes. So real is the setting that every one of these novels makes me want to spend more time in South Louisiana. As far as I know, I’ve now read all of the Robicheaux novels. I wish I had read this novel first. That would have been ideal, but you don’t always discover good series in sequence. Burke may not have even intended a sequence. Like Doyle with the character of Sherlock Holmes, I feel the public will be reluctant to let Robicheaux die or fade away. Time will tell. Here are a couple of quotations from the read that I liked:

“Someone once told me that the gambler’s greatest desire, knjowledge of the future, would drive us insane” (24)

“Gamblers and lovers pay big dues and enjoy limited consolations. But sometimes they are enough” (173).

“The road to Roncevaux lures the poet and the visionary like a drug, but the soldier pays for the real estate” (217)

“Scared money never wins” (238).

There are many other quotations, but these caught my eye this morning. Now, off to Jackson!

A Short Review: Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

Sparks’ website: http://www.nicholassparks.com/

Once again Nicholas Sparks has a #1 New York Times Best Seller and sold the rights for a movie. This author who has taken America by storm is on to something. He creates books that people want to read and want to see made into movies. I just read his bio, and I’ve got to admit, not only does he have a lot going for him, but he’s paid his dues in life too. He is surely an inspiration to many writers. Nights in Rodanthe (Warner Books) was a quick read, but a memorable one. Sparks works hard at character development, and it shows in his writing. After reading the novel, I felt like I knew and had always known Paul and Adrienne.  The story is a hopeful reminder of what can happen to two people in one weekend, and as the back cover of my edition says, “a moving reminder that love is possible at any age, at any time, and often comes when we least expect it.”

The storm setting along the Outer Banks echoes and mirrors the inner personal storms the main characters have experienced and are experiencing. The conflict is mainly inner, provided by the sense of duty, the guilt, the choices facing the characters.  As usual when I do a review, I’d like to provide a couple of good quotations:

“Comfort could be found in the steady routines of life” (9).

[Paul was] “someone who’d not only made the decision to change the rules that he’d always lived by, but was doing so in a way that most people would be terrified to contemplate” (122).

There are other quotations that I liked, but perhaps this selection will pique your interest to read the novel.