Major General Patrick Cleburne, an Irish-born commander in the Confederate Army of Tennessee, was known for his military skill and earned the nickname the Stonewall of the West. But the warrior also had a sentimental side, one that surfaced just one day before the Battle of Franklin. Riding with his adjutant near the small village of Ashwood, Cleburne stopped at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
The small, quaint building stood in a grove framed by ivy, with fresh shrubbery still green against the bleak gray November sky. Late-season flowers added to the pastoral scene. Admiring the view, Cleburne remarked, just loud enough for his adjutant to hear, that the beauty of the place was almost worth dying for—to be buried in such a spot. His time on earth was measured in hours.
The next day, November 30, 1864, Cleburne was killed at the Battle of Franklin. His wish was fulfilled, and within roughly five hours of fighting, the effective lifespan of the Army of Tennessee was also ended.