The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1878-05-04
che 2eople's a'inlitatpr.

that has not been denied, that Will,
number tergivcr<atrd Crlu,uc
upon the plain question being put to
nm ny Bragg as to whether he had
confidence in BrasS'S leadership, re-.
piled with manly tlaDknt>s that he
had not.
| CLEBcKNE AT CIlICKAMAovA.
Cleburne made a characteristic
charge in the first days battle of
Chlckamauga. He was selected late
in the afternoon to drive the ctrr,v
from an important position that hid
been held in spite of every assault
the entire day. 1t was little be-
fore sunset. The whole line was
quiet. Cleburne gavo the order to
tbs peerless division to advance
Perhaps never in tue same brief
space OF quarter of an hour was
there deadlier struggle. \ contiu~
uous and deafenjng roar Of cannon
and musRetry marked the bloody
work. Cleburne led his vr,ayans
straight t" victory with the resist
less momentum Of a tornado. 1t was
marvel of deliberate but fiery valor
this danntl+ss onset of fifteen fatriul
minutes. Tho intrep ,id division bi-
v"nacked upon the CORY ground they
had so swiftly bnt bloodily won and
the next days work saw one of H.,
brightest victories of the war rcwa,!
Southern soldierhood at this we'll
named River of Death.
CLEBCRNE SAVES TIE ARMY.
That was frishtfnl blow that
Grant struck the Southern cause at
Missionary Ridge. The shattered
fragments of Brags's amy fell back
in appalling decentralization. Gle.
burne fortunately brought up the
rear with bis wonderful division, that
some discerning critic said would
have "made the reputation of any
man that was commanding it," and
whose pride was to say that it was
first in every fight and last in every
retreat" Our army was in disor~
der|y retreat, aud Grant pushing his
advantage with lis wontcd vico,. It
seemed as if nothing could save tho
broken Confederate force from conf
plete defeat and destruction. 1t was
here that Cleburne achieved the
brightest tame of his lustrious ca
reer, and earned the proud praise Of
saving our army. Holding his thor
oughly organized division in firm
hand, n'aneavering it as if on parade.
he opposed its steady front to every
assaulting force, rolling back the
swarming fourteeen onsets of fierce
foemen as an immovabIe rock hurles
otf the rushing waves of the sea. At
Tunnel Hill Sherman threw 10000
enttused soldiers against this uucon-
qnerable division in three successive
charges. Cleburne was told that tho
safety OF our army depended upon
his checking the enemy. That was
enough. Assault was futile. CIe-
burne and his gallant men stood
there, and though heroic efforts were
made by fearless foe, he sncc,sSful
" resisted every blow and finally ALL
ministered so bitter punishment TO
the attacking columns that they WITH
drew, leaving a thousand dead in his
front and two hundred and fifty pr;s-
"ners in his hands. The amy was
saved and Cleburne's name filled the
public heart.
HE FIGHTS HIS LAST BATTLE.
When the writer heard of Cl"--
burne's death he was in bed lowering
on the verge Of the grave from Il .lrs-
perate wound. had anxiouIy fol-
lowed Hood on that periIous move
ment into Tennessee, forcbodinv tho
worst results. The first reports were
gladdening, tho enemy in hot retreat,
Hood hurting after them in hot re-
treat, brushing them back drftIv
whenever he conld get at them.
The vague report Of heavy en-
sagement drifted dimly ont. good and
bad fortune mlng|ed-a great triumph
but at awful cost in valued officers,
Clohurne among them. Then caue
the depressing confirmation. It. wa>a
sad time in tho Confederacy, a gloomy
dark period. One by one the best
props seemed going jackson, Stew
art, POIk-and now a sweeping ho'o-
caust Of nearly all the hravr>t head
ers of an army, and among them ny
friend C|eburne. My heart shral,>
within me.
| pictured the death of CIrblrnr in
my fancy, according to my knowIch-n
OF HMM the front cool, composed
as a statue, hurting with cool skill
but fiery fervor his disciplined COL
umns upon the enemy, handling I.c
maddoned mass with deliberate pre-
cision, playing amid the terrific n,rI"r
the role Of the perfect warrm ua-
blenching in the wbirlwin'l, clnipn's--
ed in the storm, using The SkiII:II
Generals mastery of deaths weapons
in that craziest, deadlicst most use
less carnival Of the war.
| found afterwards had correctly
imagined his conduct on that fAtaI
day, when the best blood in the army
was spent in assau|ting a position
that could have been bloo1lless|v flank
cd. Ordered to carry The heights
fronting Franklin, C)eburne formed
his division into column of brisa,leS,
and with bayonets fixed charged to
speedy, heroic death. And when he
fell-wlen the env,ous bullets struck
him, and his danntless blood poured
out we knew that no purcr llbation
was offered upon the cause of South
ern liberty Than the life Of this spot
less, noble Irish soldier--Patrick
Cleburne.
An old lady says: "Wh"n ! was a gal
l. Il, Al