The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1883-03-17
GEN. PAT CLEBuRNE'S DEATH.

Editor Vickshurg Herald:
l saw in your paper of yesterday
morning the article headed "The
Death of Cleburne," copied from the
Philadelphia Times. ! have noticed
that all published accounts of Gen.
Cleburne's death have been of about
the same version as the one in tho
Philadelphia Times. They are, how
ever, all wrong. All published ac-
counts state that Gen. Cleburne and his
horse We're killed on the top of the
Federal breastworks, at Franklin,
Tenn, and that his horse had its fore
feet on the breastworks, dead in that
position. Some accounts have tho
horse on top Of tho breastworks, With
its forcfeet inside of the works and the
hindfeet on the outside.
1t was the horse Of Gen. John
Adams, Of Lorins's Division, that lay
on top Of the brcastMorl>s. The body
of Adams lay on the outside at the bot
tom of the works, where it had rolled
or fallen when he was shot while riding
over the works, leading his Brigade.
Gen. Cleburne led his Division on foot.
His horse was to the rear, and was not
killed, rs reported.
The terrible report THAT tlehurne
was missing ran through our ranks
that whole dreadful night, and our
fears and anXieties were almost dis
heartening. We almost prayed that
he might have been wounded only, or
captured j; but that was not to be. l
and two others were the first to dis
cover his dead body at early dawn the
next morning. lie was about forty or
fifty yards from the works. He lay
flat upon his back as if asleep, his mil
itary cap partly over his eyes. lie
had on now gray uniform, the coat
of the sack or blouse pattern. 1t was
unbuttoned and open the lower part
of his vest was unbuttoncd. lie wore
q white linen shirt, which was stained
with blood on the front part of the left
side, or just left of the abdomen. This
was the only sign of Il wound | saw on
him, and believe it was the only ono
he had received.
have always been inclined to think
that, feeling his end was near, he had
thus lain himself down to die, or that
his body had been carried there during
the night. He was in his sock feet, his
boots having been stolen. His watch,
sword belt, and other valuables were
all gone; his body having been robbed
during the night. "Being pierced
with forty bullets through and
through" is \ mere invention, as is
also his lying dead on top of the
breastworlSs. Upon discovering Gle
burne's body l went to some parties
who had an ambulance up at tho
brcastworlSs and were picking up tho
wounded and the more distinguished
of the dead officers. ] found the am
bulancc to be in charge of the Rcv.
Thomas Markham, the well known
Presbyterian minister of New Orleans
and formerly of this place. He was
then Chaplain of FcathcrstOn's Missis-
sippi Brigade, Loring's Division. J.
pointed Glcburne's body out to him
and asked him to come with the ann
bulancc and get il. The men that were
with him were ut that moment lifting
up the body Of General John Adams,
and it being rather heavy for them,
helped to put il in the ambulance. We
then went to where Clcburnc lay and ]
assisted to put his body in tho same
ambulance. The Rev. Thomas Mark
ham, whom cvcrybody here knows,
will corroboratc every word Of what ]
have stated.
Yours truly,
JOIN McpI'Alp.