Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies: General Patrick Cleburne's Account of the Battle of Missionary Ridge (Illustrated)

Patrick Ronayne Cleburne (March 16 or March 17, 1828 – November 30, 1864) was an Irish American soldier best known for his service in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. One of the South’s most capable generals, he rose to the rank of major general and fought in the West until he was killed during the Battle of Franklin. Cleburne served well at Shiloh, Perryville, and Stones River, and he fought at Chickamauga as well.

During the Chattanooga Campaign, at the Battle of Wauhatchie near Chattanooga they conducted a rare night assault. They successfully resisted a much larger Union force under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman on the northern end of Missionary Ridge during the Battle of Missionary Ridge, and at the Battle of Ringgold Gap in northern Georgia, in which Cleburne's men again protected the Army of Tennessee as it retreated to Tunnel Hill, Georgia. Cleburne and his troops received an official Thanks from the Confederate Congress for their actions during this campaign. Cleburne's strategic use of terrain, his ability to hold ground where others failed, and his talent in foiling the movements of the enemy earned him fame, and gained him the nickname "Stonewall of the West."

Although Cleburne created a stir by suggesting the South free blacks to fight for them, he continued to be well regarded throughout the war. After Chattanooga, he wrote an account of the Battle of Missionary Ridge that was preserved in The War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. This edition of his account includes illustrations and maps of the campaign, as well as pictures of the important commanders of the battle.