A Meteor Shining Brightly; Essays on Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne

Milledgeville, Georgia: Terrell House Publishing, 1999. Second Printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. ix, [1], 310 pages. Color Frontis illustration Illustrations. Notes. Index. Foreword by Wiley Sword. The essays featured here, covering the highlights of Major Cleburne's life with thoughtful and well-documented insight, reveal his heart and provide a compelling read. Includes Foreword, Acknowledgments, and Index. Also includes chapters on Irish Beginnings, Helena, Arkansas, Cleburne's Own; Cleburne's Early War Years; Headquarter's Staff; "Headquarter's staff; "An Open, Stand Up Affair; Concerning the Emancipation of the Slaves; "A Moral and Upright Man"; Cleburne's Victory at the Pickett Settlement; The Last Campaign; Franklin; Epilogue; and Index. The essays featured in this book, covering the highlights of Major Cleburne's life with thoughtful and well-documented insight, reveal his heart and provide a compelling read. Eleven essays explore diverse topics, including the influence of his Irish background on his decision to fight for the South; his proposal to enlist slaves, relations and staff officers, provocative examination of his strategy and command skills, and the poignant but tragic romance cut sort by his untimely death in the Battle of Franklin. From the public life of a military commander to the very private, often shy man, Cleburne is revealed as a complex individual. Contributors include the editor, Frederick Bohmfalk, William Pettus Buck, Thomas Cartwright, Mark Hull, Carl Moneyhon, Anne Rush, Alethea Sayers, and William Lee White. Mauriel Phillips Joslyn was born in Manchester, Georgia and Joslyn received her BA in history from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and an MA in history from Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. One of the reasons Joslyn chose to attend school in Virginia was because it was six miles from the Virginia Military Institute, placing her near many former battlefields, where she could continue to explore her fascination concerning the Civil War. Josyln has published several books and articles concerning the Civil War. Her articles have appeared in Gettysburg Magazine, United Daughters of the Confederacy Magazine, Georgia Journal, Military Heritage, Irish Sword, and many others. She is a member of the Society of Civil War Historians, the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, the Blue and Gray Education Association, the Georgia Historical Society, and other groups. Her book Confederate Women is a collection of various women's wartime experiences. As president of the Patrick Cleburne Society, Joslyn is raising money for a statue of General Cleburne to be erected in Ringgold, Georgia. She has been the vice-chairman of the Georgia Civil War Commission. Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne (March 16, 1828 - November 30, 1864) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Born in Ireland, Cleburne served in the 41st Regiment of Foot, a Welsh regiment of the British Army, after failing to gain entrance into Trinity College of Medicine in 1846. Three years later, he immigrated to the United States. At the beginning of the Civil War, Cleburne sided with the Confederate States. He progressed from being a private soldier in the local militia to a division commander. Cleburne participated in many successful military campaigns, especially the Battle of Stones River, the Battle of Missionary Ridge and the Battle of Ringgold Gap. He was also present at the Battle of Shiloh. Cleburne's strategic use of terrain, his ability to hold ground where others failed, and his talent in foiling the movements of the enemy earned him fame, and gained him the nickname "Stonewall of the West." Federal troops were quoted as dreading to see the blue flag of Cleburne's Division across the battlefield. General Robert E. Lee referred to him as "a meteor shining from a clouded sky". He was killed leading his men at the Battle of Franklin.