Date Original
1854-1864
Description
This collection contains a poem written by Patrick Cleburne.
Biographical/Historical Note
Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was born in Ovens, County Cork, Ireland, on March 16, 1828, to Joseph Cleburne and Mary Anne Romaine Cleburne. After Patrick's mother died when he was eighteen months old, his father married Isabella Stewart. His father, a doctor, contracted typhus from a patient and died in1843, leaving Patrick and his siblings to be raised by his stepmother. He apprenticed to become a doctor for two years but failed the entrance exam, at which time he joined the Forty-first Regiment of Footin the British Army. After serving several years, he returned home to find the family farm in debt. His stepmother suggested that he and the three eldest children emigrate to America. Patrick and his siblings arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 25, 1849. After moving to Arkansas in 1850 Patrick found work as a druggist at Nash and Grant's Drugstore in Helena, then passed the Arkansas bar exam in 1856.The "Yell Rifles" militia was organized by local plantation owners, and Cleburne was elected as captain. On February 5, 1861, the "Yell Rifles" were ordered to seize the Little Rock Arsenal. They became part of the First Arkansas Voluntary Infantry Regiment and elected Cleburne as colonel. He was promoted to brigadier general in March 1862 and to major general on December 14, 1862.He fought in several key battles, and received a Congressional Citation from the Confederacy for standing with his 4,000 men against General Joseph Hooker's 15,000 troops at Ringgold Gap, Georgia, in 1863. Hewas killed in the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, on November 30, 1864.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas; Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee; Ireland
Language
English
Identifier
SMC.005.006
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Patrick Cleburne poem, SMC.005.006
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Patrick Cleburne poem, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
