The semi-weekly miner., 1883-05-19
GEN. CLEBURNE's DEATH.
The Facts Concerning the Tragic
Demise of the Confederate
Chieftain.

0DetrOlt Free fIe3S.
John McQuaid, q Confederate sol
dier. thus gives for the first time the
true and full particulars of the death
of Gen. Cleburne at Franklin:
II saw in your paper of yesterday
morning the article headed THE
Death O. Cleburne,' copied from the
Philadelphia Times. I have noticed
that all published accounts of Gen.
Cleburnes death have been of about
the same version as the one in the
Philadelphia Times. They are, how
ever, all wrong. All published ac'
counts state that General Cleburne
and his horse were killed on the top
of the Federal breastworks at Frank
lin, Tenn, and that his horse had its
forefeet on the breastworks, dead in
that position. Some accounts have
the horse Oh top of the breastworks,
with its forefeet inside of the works
and the hindfeet on the outside.
ut was the horse of Gen. John
Adams, of Loring's division, that lay
on top of the breastwerks. The body
of Adams lay on the outside at the
bottom 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 not killed as reported.
The terrible report that Cleburne
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: but that was not to be. 1
and two Others were the first to dis
cover his dead body at early dawn the
next morning. He was about forty
or fifty yards from the works. He
lay fiat upon his back as if asleep, his
military cap partly over his eyes. He
had on new gray uniform, the coat
of the sack or blouse pattern. It was
unbuttoned and open; the lower part
of his vest was unbuttoned. He wore
a white linen shirt which was stained
with blood on the front part of the
left side, or just LETT of the abdomen.
This was the only sign of wound
l saw on him, and / believe it was
the only one he had received.
II have always been lncliued to
think that, feeling his end was near,
he had thus laid 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 we're all gone; his
body having been robbed during the
night. Being pierced with forty
bullets through and through is a
mere invention. as is also his lying
dead on top of the breastwOrks. Upon
discovering ClebUrne's body went
to some parties who had an ambu-
lance up at the breast works and were
picking up the wounded anu the
more distinguished of the dead Off
Gers. / found the ambulance to be in
charge of the Rev. Thomes Mark
ham, the well known Presbyterian
minister OF New Orleans, and for
merly of this place. He was then
chaplain of Featherston's Mississippi
brigade, Loring's division. point
ed Cleburne's body out to him and
asked him to come with the ambu-
lapce and get it. The men that were
with him were at that moment lift
ing up the body of Gen. John Adams,
and il being rather heavy for them, 1
helped to put it in the ambulance
we then went to where Cleburne lay
and 1 assisted to put his body in the
same ambulance. The Rev. Thomas
Markham, whom everybody here
knows, will corroborate every word
of what have stated.
"Yours truly,
JOHN MCQUAID."