Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War

Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War - Paperback

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Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War
  • Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War
Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War - Paperback

Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War - Paperback

by Craig L. Symonds
$68.38
$68.38

Book Overview

by Craig L. Symonds (Author)

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 wartime army to become the Confederacy's finest division commander. He was admired by peers and subordinates alike for his leadership, loyalty, honesty, and fearlessness in the face of enemy fire. The valor of his command was so inspirational that his unit alone was allowed to carry its own distinctive battle flag.

In Stonewall of the West, Craig Symonds offers the first full-scale critical biography of this compelling figure. He explores all the sources of Cleburne's commitment to the Southern cause, his growth as a combat leader from Shiloh to Chickamauga, and his emergence as one of the Confederacy's most effective field commanders at Missionary Ridge, Ringgold Gap, and Pickett's Mill. In addition, Symonds unravels the "mystery" of Spring Hill and recounts Cleburne's dramatic and untimely death (at the age of 36) at Franklin, Tennessee, where he charged the enemy line on foot after having two horses shot from under him.

Symonds also explores Cleburne's role in the complicated personal politics of the Army of Tennessee, as well as his astonishing proposal that the decimated Confederate ranks be filled by ending slavery and arming blacks against the Union.

Symonds' definitive and immensely readable narrative casts new light on Cleburne, on the Army of Tennessee, and on the Civil War in the West. It finally and firmly establishes Cleburne's rightful place in the pantheon of Southern military heroes.

Back Jacket

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. In Stonewall of the West, Craig Symonds offers the first full-scale critical biography of this compelling figure. He explores all the sources of Cleburne's commitment to the Southern cause, his growth as a combat leader from Shiloh to Chickamauga, and his emergence as one of the Confederacy's most effective field commanders at Missionary Ridge, Ringgold Gap, and Pickett's Mill. In addition, Symonds unravels the "mystery" of Spring Hill and recounts Cleburne's dramatic and untimely death (at the age of 36) at Franklin, Tennessee, where he charged the enemy line on foot after having had two horses shot from under him. Symonds also explores Cleburne's role in the complicated personal politics of the Army of Tennessee, as well as his astonishing proposal that the decimated Confederate ranks be filled by ending a slavery and arming blacks against the Union.

Number of Pages: 340
Dimensions: 0.77 x 9.01 x 6.05 IN
Illustrated: Yes
Publication Date: April 08, 1997
ISBN9780700609345
Author Craig L. Symonds
PublisherUniversity Press of Kansas
GenreBiography
FormatPaperback
PublishedApril 1997
LanguageENG- English
Pages340
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Biography & Autobiography Nonfiction

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About Craig L. Symonds

Craig L. Symonds is Professor Emeritus at the United States Naval Academy, where he taught naval history for thirty years. He also served as the Ernest J. King Distinguished Professor of Maritime History at the U.S. Naval War College. His books include Decision at Sea, Lincoln and his Admirals, The Battle of Midway, Neptune: The Allied Invasion of Europe and the D-Day Landings, World War II at Sea, and, most recently, Nimitz at War. He has won the Lincoln Prize, the Roosevelt Prize, and the Dudley Knox Medal for Lifetime Achievement. In 2023 he was awarded the Pritzker Military Museum & Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing.

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