The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-02-11

Confederates, he exclaimed, "Lay me down
and save the flag" His wish was obeyed
and the banner was rescued, but the Con-
federate lines soon closed around the help
less hero and he died prisoner of war two
days later
The hot little battle of Franklin, Tenn,
Nov. 30, 1864, had the distinction of count
ing more dead generals among it's slain
belonging to one side than any of the great
fields of the war. The fight began after 4
O'Clock in the afternoon, and before the
sun went down five Confederate generals
lay dead. Chief among them was Mai
Gen. Patrick r. Cleburne, the "Stonewall
of the West" Cleburne had singular ca
reer He was a foreigner by birth, aud en-
tered the Confederate service as private,
and with no other leverage than native
ability won his way to a major general
ship.
There had been some unpleasant incl
dents in the Hood campaign of invasion
leading up to Franklin and Cleburne had
been involved, but on the eve of the des-
perate charge, after forming his division
in three lines of attack, he said to Hood,
General, am ready. and have more hope
in the final success Of our cause than have
had at any time since the first gun was
fired" With these words he sounded the
charge, and to both friends and enemies
he seemed animated with unusual despera-
ton. In one wild rush the division broke
the first Union line, and then for the rest Of
the short afternoon the fury Of the contest
has no parallel Where Cleburne led, thir-
teen distinct charges were recorded by
Union officers. Commands overlapped and
1ntermingled, and $ generals of the as
saultlng column were killed, were wound
eel and l was captured inside the Union
works. Gen. Hood said that the field re-
called to him the terrible scenes of carnage
he had passed through at Gaines Mill, An
tletam and Gettysburg. No one survived
that could tell exactly how Cleburne met
his fate, but his body was found at the
ditch of the Union works. where the Con-
tederate dead lay thickest, and it is be-
lleved that he fell late in the action in at
tempting to resist countercharge bv
Union reserves
A lion OF the deck, who fell on the very
threshold of Il bright career, was Col.
Charles Ellet, father of the Union caeam
ram fleet on the Mississippi Ellet was a
civil engineer who volunteered to con-
struct and lead a fleet of steam rams in
imitation of the dreaded Confederate Mer-
iiul6tC. w Hell Cne Union gunDOaC 1Get
started down the Mississippi in June,
1862, Ellet accompanied it with squadron
OF wooden steamers armed with rams. The
Confederate fleet, consisting of eight heavy
1ronclad vessels steamed up the river to
meet the Union armament, and Ellet dashed
into the line in face of heavy fire, with
the rams Queen of the West and Monarch.
tie stood OH the deck Of the Queen and di-
| rected her with such force and precision
as to send his first antagonist to the bot
tom at one blow. Other Confederate YES
sells soon closed in around the Queen, and
Ellet received a pistol shot in the knee that
proved mortal, and though he sank under
ment directing his rams until the Confed-
crate flotilla was destroyed and his son
and subordinate officer Charles r. lIllet,
/ had unfurled the stars and stripes in
Memphis to signalize the victory and re-
celved the surrender of the city in tie
name Of the wounded hero. s
GEORGE l.. KILMER