River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-01-18
CLEBURNE At FRANKLIN.
How Gen. Pat. CIeburne Met His
Death on the Federal Breastworks
or Franklin, Tenn-His Burial

suing Sherman, turned his face towards
Tennessee and struck out for Nashville.
He crossed the Tennessee river at Flor
ence, Ala, on pontoon, and SO lar
found but little to oppose him, although
Schofield had been detached from Sher-
man to impede his advance. He easily
drove Schofelds army before him and
with but little loss until he suddenly ran
upon the fortified town of Franklin.
Taken at its best, Hoods army was in but
poor condition to make assault OH stch a
position Bit Hood had cofle up to Ten
nessee to change his hazard on the die.
His men were hungry and Lying on one-
third rations; they were ragged ana
winter was coming on; he needed re-
cruits, which he expected to get IN len
nessee; the esprit du corps was almost
broken, and. besides, if he delayed one
day longer it might be too late, for Cen
eral Thomas was at Nashville organizing
with General A. ] Smith, just come up
from Arkansas with his corps, an army
greater than Hoods and which III
another day would join and succor
Schotield. The battle had to be fought
and the death angel was there to gather
in his last harvest.
1t was the 30th of November. AT 4
o'clock in the afternoon the line OF bat
tie was formed, Stewart on the right,
Cheathnm on the left, their right and
left TANKS, interlocked like Patthtgn
shields, composing the centre. General
Stephen d. Lees corps, was held in re-
serve. CIeburne's position was IN the
centre, his division formed in three bat
tie lines and he at its head. Thus ar
ranged Hoods line was nearly two miles
long, advancing, curved like a Mussul-
mans scimitar, with the blade to the foe.
But let us follow Cleburne. Bugles were
blowing, drums beating and bands play
ing. A courier dashed up to Cleburne,s
presence and soon the word Attention.
was given, then, forward march,! and
the column passed over a 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 federal batteries began
to open. First came solid shot burning
over the earth and tearing and crashing
through the ranks; then the shrieking
shells flew through the air on the wings
of destruction, bursting under and above
and around the men at every explosion
unbinding more evils than ever flew
from Pandora's box. Twilight was com
ing on. Forward, menp was repeated
all along the line. A living sheet of fire
was poured into their ranks. But the
men pressed forward until the terrific
roar ran from the center to flank, from
wing to wing.
Night came and the two armies fought
like two blind giants in despair. Gle
burne's old war cry rang out above the
din of arms: Follow me; boys" Once
again and again, sevent times, Cleburne's
division, and, indeed, all OF Hoods
army. charged the breastworks. And
once again, and again, and again, seven
times, were they repulsed. Every time
they formed and reformed under most
CALLING fire. At one time, just before
dusk, Cleburne captured port on of
the works and turned the guns ola fed
eral battery on their former owners, but
it was only for a few moments-a little
silver rift in the battle clouds that en-
yeloped him in the darkness. 1t was
the hottest fire Cleburne had ever met. 1T
was but one stream of blazing hell.
ConfederateS were on one side OF the
breastworks and Federals on the other.
Men fell flat on their faces and fired
from behind the bodies of their dead
comrades. Dead soldiers filled the en-
trenchments Blood made the earth as
slippery as an ice pond. Thus the fir
ing was ept up until after midnight,
and gradually died out. But both arm
les held their own. The Confederates
passed the night where they we're, just
outside the breastworks. The Federals
only few feet off, held their cover until
daybreak, when they quietly marched
away and retreated back to Nashville.
But when the morrow's sun began to
light UP the sky the surviving soldiers
looked out upon sad battlefield. The
dead were piled one on top of the other
in awful heaps and the wounded seemed
thicker than the amounted stars
Horses, like men, had died game upon
the defenses. Cleburne's body lay there
on top of the breastwork, CHASTITY in the
sleep of death, pierced with forty-nine
bullets, through and through. His mare
had her forefeet on top OF the works,
dead in that position.
Not far from where Cleburne lay was
seen the dead body of general Adams.
His horse had his forefeet on one side
of the works and his hind feet on the
other, dead. The general seems to have
been caught so that he was held to the
horses back, sitting bolt upright in his
saddle, as if living, riddled and torn
with balls. General Stahl lay by the
roadside and his horse By his side, both
dead, and all his staff General Gist, from
South Carolina was lying with his sword,
grasped in lis hand. He, too, was dead.
General Cranberry, of Texas, and his
horse were seen, horse and rider, right
on top of the breastworks, dead. All
dead! Four thousand five hundred sol
diers all lying side by side in death.
Thirteen confederate generals were
killed and wounded. Six brothers,
members of the Mississippi regiment,
were all dead. This was the bloodiest
picture in the book of Time"
The route over which Cleburne's COM
mand had marched the day previous to
the battle of Franklin lay through some
of the richest and lovliest country in all
the south. The roads from Mount Pleas
ant to Columbia run through a farming
district, fertile as the famous Blue Glass
region of Kentucky, and in the highest
state OF improvement. Six miles from
Columbia is what is known as the 'fPolk
and Pillow Settlement" or, as it is now
called, Ashwood. Here the distinguished
and wealthy families bearing those
names lived in style of elegance and
ease but few baronial estates of Europe
could afford. General Leonidas Polk,
the Bishop, was born here;
so, too, was EXP esident James
X. Polk. General Lucius Polk, Colonel
William Polk, Colonel George Polk, Col
onel Andrew J. Polk, General Goideon
S. Pillow, Colonel Jerome Pillow and
other prominent and famous persons.
Nearly all of these gentlemen owned
large plantations in Arkansas, Mississippi
or Louisiana, and had princely incoms
from their cotton and sugar crops, but
here, at Ashwood, they had superb
homesteads, mansions. each with
manor, and their Surroundings were IN
keeping with everything refined taste
could suggest and almost unlimited
purses could purchase.
Being jealous church people these
gentlemen had built a beautiful little
Protestant Episcopal chapel, and hard
by was the family burying ground. 1t
was a very romantic place and the neigh
borhood quite typical of the flush days
of our sunny Southland. The chapel
was in the purest Gothic style, and its
walls and sharp-nointed roof were quite
concealed by clRmbering ivy, while the
flowers and the shrubbery looked fresh
and green even on this bleak November
day. As Cleburne, with his staff, rode
by the General refined up his horse and
fingered for a moment to admire spot Of
such singular beauty. To him, however, /
it was the beauty of sadness. /
The flowers that bloomed there seemed
ready to fade and wither on the breast
Of death; the evergreen was waiting to
lay upon his coffin-iid, and frost glittered