Invisible Hero: Patrick R. Cleburne
Confederate Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne is usually considered the premier combat commander in the Army of Tennessee, the “Stonewall Jackson of the West.” Never promoted beyond division command, he did not have an opportunity to shape the war in the Western Theater of operations, but he had an impact on every battle he was part of. Missionary Ridge and Ringgold Gap were his shining moments on the battlefield, proving his skill in defensive warfare. He was a man tactically ahead of his time, implementing sharpshooter companies early in the war, and recommending that the South enlist slaves as soldiers (an act that probably kept him from ever being promoted to lieutenant general). A shy, unassuming man, Cleburne was a masterful leader of men, and they would follow him anywhere. Invisible Hero is an excellent unit history for the brigade, then the division, that Cleburne commanded. However, it falls short of being a biography of Cleburne. In fairness, a true biography is not what author Stewart was going for. However, Cleburne sometimes becomes truly invisible, lost in Stewart’s excellent and exciting battle descriptions. The maps are a real weakness of the book. Except for one of the seven maps, there is no differentiation shown between Confederate and Federal units, the units often being shown as mere lines. Also, no terrain features shown. For the larger battles, since the maps normally show only that action Cleburne’s men were involved in, it is impossible to tell what part they played in the overall action. The author’s analyses of Cleburne’s recommendation to utilize slaves as combat troops, why Cleburne failed to achieve corps command, and the failure to trap Gen. John A. Schofield’s troops at Spring Hill are excellent. Cleburne died at Franklin the day after Spring Hill. Anyone interested in the Army of Tennessee, especially in those troops Cleburne commanded, will find Invisible Hero invaluable. Those interested in a more detailed accounting of Cleburne’s life may be disappointed. Reviewer: Robert L. Durham is a computer specialist. A longtime Civil War buff, he is also interested in Old West history and has written articles and book reviews for Alamo Journal, True West, Journal of the Alamo Battlefield Association, and Alamo de Parras web site at www.flash.net/~alamo3 |
Footnotes, maps, bibliography, index, 392 pp., 2009. Northern Mercer University Press, 1400 Coleman Ave., Macon, GA 31207, $35 plus shipping.