The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-01-25
THE DEATH OF CLEBURNE.
A Vivid Sketch OF tho Battle CT Fruukli,
G. T.. Roo'rt, in he MRaoriphiu Times.

{. T.. RoI"t. in he HRa,iIphia Times.
II was the Both of November, 1864.
At 4 o'clock in the afternoon the line of
battle was formed, Stewart en- the right
Cheatham on the left, their right and Icft
Hanks, in,crlocked like Parthinn shields
composing the centre. Gen Stephen d.
Lees Corps was held in reserve. Gle.
| ourncs position was in the centre, his
division tnrmed in three battle lines and
nc ut It's head. Thus arranged Hoods
me wasnearly two miles long, advancing,
curved like Mussulman's scimitar. with
The blade To the foe. But let us follow
Cleourne. Buglcs were blowing, drums
beating and bands playing. A courier
dashed up to Cleburnc's presence and
soon the word Attention ~ was given
then Forward, march /" and the column
passed over hill and through little
skirt of woods. Soon they emerged into
an open field and steadily they pressed
on with proper cadence" toward the
rampant Of blood and death. The FEEDER.
al batteries began TO open. First came
solid shot bounding over the earth and
tearing aud crashing through the ranks
then the shrieking shells flew through
the mir on the wings of destruction.
bursting under and above and around
Tho men and at every explosion unbind.
lug more evils than ever flew from Pan.
doras box. Twilight was coming on.
Forward, men y was repeated all along
tho line. a living skcc, of fire was
poured into their ranks. But the men
pressed forward until the terrific roar ran
from cenlrc to flank, from wing to wing.
:. Night came and the two armies fought
iiko Two blind giants in despair. Gle.
ourne's old war cry rang out above the
din OF arms: Follow me, boys!" Once
again, and again, and again seven times,
Gieo,rne's division, and, indeed, all of
itocds army, charged the brcastworks.
ana once again, and ngain, and again
seven times were they formed and re.
formed under most CALLING fire. At
ono time, just before dusk, Cleburne cap.
tIrad portion Of the works and turned
the guns of n Federal battery on their
former owners; but it was only for few
moments a little silver rift in tho battle
clouds that enveloped him in the dark.
ness. IL was the hottest fire Cleburne
mad ever met. II wns but one stream of
blazing hell. Confederetcs were on one
sue oi tho breastworks aud Fcderals on
the other. Men fell fiat on their faces
ana flred from behind tho bodies of their
dead comrades. Dead soldiers filled the
entrenchments. Blood made the earth
~ slippery M an ico pond. Thus tho
hrlng was Kept up Until after midnight,
and gradually died out. But both
armies held their own. The Coufcder.
ntcs passed the night where they we're,
Just outside tho breastworks. The ID.
erals only few feet of, held their cover
until near daybrcak, when they quietly
marched away and retrcated hack to
Nashville.
HOW CLEnunSE DIED.
5ut when the morrow's sun began to
light up the sky tho surviving soldiers
looked out upon n sad battlefield. The
dead were piled one on top of the other
IN awful heaps and the wounded seemed
thicker than the unc0unted stars. uorsos.
like men, had died game upon tho
deiences. Cleburne's body lay there on
top OF the brcastworks, ghastly in the sleep
OF death, pierced with forty.ninc bullets.
through and through. His mare had her
foreieet on top of the works, dead in
that position.
Not fnr from where Ccburne lay was
seen the dcnd body Of Gen. Adams.
lis horse had his forefeet on one side of
the works and his hindfeet on the other,
dead. The General seems to have been
caught 40 that he was held 10 the horses
oacs, sitting bolt upright in his saddle,
as if living, riddled and torn with balis'
Gcn. Stahl lay by the roadside and his
horse by his side, both dead, and ali his
staff: Gen. Gist, from South Carolina.
was lying with his sword, reaching across
the breastwork, still grasped in his hand.
He, too, was dead. Gen. CRANBERRY, of
Texas, and his horse were seen, horse
and rider, right on top of the breast.
works, dead. All dendl Four thousand
live hundred soldiers all lying side by
side in death. Thirteen Confederate gen.
erals were killed and wounded. Six
brothers, members Of Mississippi repi.
ment,. were all dead. "This was the
bl0odiess picture in the book Of Time !"
ihe route ever which Cle5urHs's con.=
mand had marched the day previous to
the battle of Franklin lay through somc
OF the richest and loveliest country in all
tho South. The roads from Mount Pleas.
ant to Columbia run through farming
district, fertile as the famous Blue Grass
region of Kentucky, and in the highest
state OF Improvement. Six miles from
Columbia is what is known as the "Polk
and Pillow Settlement" or as it is now
called, Ashwood. Here the distinguished
aud wealthy families bearing those names
lived n style Of elegance and ease but
few baronial estates of Europe could
afford. Gen. Leonidas Polk, the Bishop,
was born here; so too, was OK. .Presideni
James X. Polk, Gen. Lucius Polk, Col.
William Polk, Col. George Polk, Col. An.
drew j. Polk, Gen. Gideon S. Pillow, Col.
Jerome Pillow, and other prominent and
famous persons. Nearly all Of these
gentlemen owned large plantations in
Arkansas, Mississippi or Louisiana, and
had princely incomes from their cotton
and sugar crops, but here, at Ashwood,
they had their superb homesteads, man.
slons each with a manor, and their sur
roundings were in keeping with every.
thing refined taste could suggest and al
most unlimited purses could purchase.
cLEBURNE's ROMANTIC GRAVE.
Being Jealous church people these
gentlemen had built a beautiful little
Protestant Episcopal chapel, and hard
nv yyaa tho fou,ilxJ k,,.,;a,, r-o,sl