I am sure that as a Civil War student you have a set of favorite generals -- certainly Confederates and perhaps some Union candidates also.   I have mine and I feel that the “Big Four” on the Confederate side are Lee, Jackson, Forrest, and Cleburne -- not necessarily in that order. To my mind the example, set by Patrick Cleburne represents all the best of the South and the Confederacy -- devotion to duty, faithfulness to friends and concern for his men, never expecting them to do what he was not willing to do himself. 

His life is regarded as an example of all the good and noble aspects of the South.  He lived in a time when many of his contemporaries were more interested in advancing their own agendas than those of their country irrespective of which side of the Mason Dixon Line they were on.  At the Battle of Franklin, he gave the last full measure to his country.  His needless death has come to symbolize, to me, the tragedy of the Confederacy.

As an Arkansan, I feel that we are fortunate to have someone of Cleburne’s stature for which to be proud.  The only problem is that in these times of political correctness, we have done very little here in Arkansas to honor him or, indeed, even to acknowledge him.  We have named a county for him at least and thankfully, his final resting place is in Helena.  But, who here in Arkansas really knows anything about him outside of the Civil War community, which, we must admit, is a very small minority. 

I attend several Civil War events every year -- reenactments, battlefield tours, or collector shows.  I have been pleased to find at collector events an ever increasing interest and display of items relating to Cleburne.  In 2000, I attended the Nashville Civil War Collector’s Show and at one of the tables, I learned about the Patrick Cleburne Society.   The headquarters is in Birmingham, AL and the fee to become a member is quite modest.  The purpose and mission of the organization is quite simple and straightforward.  First, it is to memorialize and honor Cleburne’s life and accomplishments. Secondly, is to contribute to the preservation of the battlefields on which he fought.  So, I joined the Cleburne Society on the spot at Nashville show. 

In the summer of 2001, I learned of plans by the Cleburne Society to lead a Civil War tour to Ireland to visit many of the sites that are significant in Cleburne’s early life before coming to America. These locations included his birthplace at Bride Park, the Ronayne Estate of his mother’s family, St Mary’s Church Athnowen Parish where he attended church, was baptized, Ballencollig Royal Gunpowder Mill where his father was the military surgeon and several military barracks where Cleburne was stationed after he ran away from his family, and joined the British Army. 

The program I will give is a slide show of locations visited on this trip and the story of the hard life he had as a Private in the Army; and how it brought him thoughts and ideas that contributed to his success as a great battlefield commander.

Dave was born and raised in the Little Rock area, and attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He served on active duty in the Army Artillery during Korea. He is a professional engineer and recently retired from Southwestern Bell Telephone. He is active in various environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy. He is a civil war enthusiast: past president of Civil War Roundtable of Arkansas, supporter of civil war battlefield preservation efforts nationwide, and an avid collector of civil war period artifacts.