To Jefferson Davis, he was the "Stonewall o: 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, onthe 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.
"Cleburne ranks as one of the Confederacy's best fighting generals, and at last is getting more of the serious attention he deserves. Symond's account is fresh, thought provoking, and based upon a thorough analysis of his career. It should be an inspiration to all who appreciate the highest virtue and character under extreme hardship and disadvantage". -- Wiley Sword, author of The Confederacy's Last Hurrah.
"The finest biography of one of the Confederacy's finest fighting generals that has been written or is likely to be written". Albert Castel, author of Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864
Industry Reviews
"A highly readable work that provides insights into the dialogue between society, culture, and personality, on one side, and Civil War military leadership, on the other."—Journal of American History
"Symonds has produced what may truly be the lasting biography of the so-called Stonewall of the West."—Atlanta History
"A superb biography and the definitive book on Patrick Cleburne."—North & South
"Every student of the Civil War needs to read this insightful account."—Blue & Gray Magazine
"Should be in every Civil War collection."—Library Journal
"A fascinating story."—Washington Times
"This is the biography that Patrick Cleburne has long deserved. Scrupulously fair in his judgments, Symonds accords Cleburne full credit for his accomplishments even as he sweeps away the romantic gloss that has clung to the general for many generations."—Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Confederate War
"Fresh and thought provoking. An inspiration to all who appreciate the highest virtue and character under extreme hardship and disadvantage."—Wiley Sword, author of The Confederacy's Last Hurrah
"The finest biography of one of the Confederacy's finest fighting generals."—Albert Castel, author of Decision in the West
"Outstanding biography, fine battle history, and fascinating reading."—Steven E. Woodworth, author of Davis and Lee at War
