(March 16, 1828 - November 30, 1864)

The most well-known participant in the Battle of Richmond was General Patrick Cleburne, a charismatic young officer who rose rapidly through the Confederate ranks. In the fall of 1861, less than six months after entering Confederate service, Cleburne, a native of Cork County, Ireland, attained the rank of brigadier general. His knowledge, ability, and sills learned during three years of service in the British army enabled him to turn his brigade into one of the Confederate army's finest units.

In the summer of 1862 Cleburne, who had served in Kentucky during the Confederate occupation that ended the previous February, returned to the commonwealth as a division commander in General Edmund Kirby Smith's Confederate Army of Kentucky. he was in command of the lead division as Kirby Smith's army approached Richmond; it was his first independent command. On the evening of august 29 his troops skirmished with Federal cavalry and the next morning they met Union General Mahlon Manson's brigade near Kingston. both sides deployed their troops, in anticipation of the engagement to come.

As Cleburne rode up and down his line inspecting his troops, a wounded man, an old friend from Arkansas, called to him. Cleburne stopped and was immediately struck by a stray bullet, which passed through his jaw. Unable to talk, he passed his command to Colonel Preston Smith, who put Cleburne's plan into action, routing Manson's troops.

Cleburne recuperated for three weeks but was again with his division at the Battle of Perryville, where he was twice wounded. Promoted to major general in December 1862, Cleburne repeatedly distinguished himself in battle. His brilliantly led charge at Chickamauga earned him the sobriquet "The Stonewall of the West."

Patrick Cleburne was killed at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, on November 30, 1864, as he led a desperate assault into the Federal works. He was 36.

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Show me all markers in:  Richmond, KY  |  Madison County  |  40475  |  Kentucky  |  United States of America

General Mahlon Manson
Battle of Richmond
General Edmund Kirby Smith
General William "Bull" Nelson
Battle of Richmond Masonic Memorial
Fight at Rogersville
The Confederates Crush The Union Left
Manson's First Line
Civil War Field Hospital
Mt. Zion Church - Field Hospital

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