Cleburne's Attack

Cleburne's Attack. Perryville . The Battle For Kentucky. , Forced back from the hills above Doctor's Creek, the 10th Ohio Infantry retreated to a position a few yards behind you. The Union lines were in chaos--regiments intermingled, the wounded were left behind, and some panicked troops raced for the rear. Most soldiers, however, continued to stubbornly defy the Southern advance., With ammunition running low, the 10th Ohio hastily reformed their line on the reverse slope of this ridge. Here they waited for the Confederates to show themselves over the crest of the hill. The 10th Ohio was the last remaining Union regiment holding its position. The other Union regiments were in full retreat., Leading the assault against these Union troops was a Southern brigade commaded by Brigadier General Patrick Cleburne. Their blue and white battle flags flapping in the October wind, Cleburne's infantry again bore down upon the Union line., When Cleburne sent his flag-bearers in front of his main line as a decoy, the 10th Ohio fired their muskets at these troops. With their guns emptied and no time to reload, the Ohioans were then torn apart when Cleburne's main line appeared. The gun smoke rolled along in waves as the Confederate infantry shattered the Union position., Cleburne's intense attack shattered the Union line. The blue-clad soldiers fell back to the ridges behind you, which became their third and final position. With night falling, the Federal soldiers formed a line of battle. They knew that another retreat would lead to a crushing defeat., Wounded in the mouth 38 days before this battle, General Cleburne was again wounded at Perryville while riding his horse, Dixie, within 50 yards of this spot, just after his brigade took this hill. A cannon shell, fired from one of Union General Phillip Sheridan's batteries on Peter's Hill just under a mile to your right, struck him. This astounding shot was fired from 1,650 yards. The shell injured Cleburne's ankle as it passed completely through the horse, killing Dixie instantly. Despite the wound, Cleburne continued to advance on foot with his soldiers., .... the rattle of musketry was almost incessant, and out troops fought them in much closer quarters than I have ever known them to before -- the firing was so rapid that several fields and fences were set on fire from the discharge of the guns -- many a poor man either dead or wounded was badly burned in them. , -- Robert D. Smith, 2nd Tennessee Infantry, C.S., I now advanced in the line of battle, my skirmishes ten paces in front of the line and carrying the battle-flags, carried by the line of skirmishers, appeared above the crest of the hill, the enemy, supposing our line of battle was in view, emptied their guns at the line of skirmishers. Before they could reload our true line of battle was upon them; they instantly broke and fled, exposed to a deadly fire. , -- General Patrick Cleburne, C.S. , ... they formed in division and charged across the cornfield, their commander mounted on a splendid gray charger. Both rider and horse were killed, and the shells from Battery I made gaps in their columns, but they closed up their ranks, and came on... , -- Thaddeus C.S. Brown, Barnett's Illinois Battery U.S. From Peter's Hill, Patrick Ronanyne Cleburne was born in Ireland, in 1828. He immigrated to the United States in 1849. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Cleburne's natural talent saw him rise from a private to a division commander in less than a year. He was killed leading his troops in a desperate charge on November 30, 1864 at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee.