… if we are to die, let us die like men. (Guest Post)

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patrick-cleburne

“Well, Govan, if we are to die, let us die like men.” ​
Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne

Is there ANY ONE of you who doubts that this man said this when all hope (with honor) was lost and he proudly stood up to do what he saw as his duty?

Is there ANY ONE of you who doubts that this man knew the consequences of performing the duty he bound himself to do?

Is there ANY ONE of you who could stretch credulity enough to imagine these words EVER falling from the lips of the man in the White House?

Is there ANY ONE of you who could stretch credulity enough to imagine that the man in the White House EVER entertained the concept of SELF SACRIFICE FOR DUTY WITH HONOR?

Is there ANY ONE of you who thinks the mixed race child raised in privilege in Hawaii by doting white grandparents to now occupy the White House EVER stood any severe trials of character?

Is there ANY ONE of you who truly thinks that any omission of this courage is irrelevant in the character of the people we choose to lead us?

Why does this country insist on looking for leadership from men who belittle honor, patriotism, self sacrifice and courage while responding to any criticism of their ill advised social policies with charges of greed, inhumanity and racism or blame their failures on the actions of others as a matter of course?

​General Cleburne, recently engaged to be married, was killed in the battle of Franklin!​

​General Cleburne was born in Ireland and lived in Arkansas.​

Before the battle of Franklin, Tennessee​ (emphasis mine):

​[Gen] Hood told his commanders his plans for a frontal assault against the Federal works and asked for opinions. Major Generals Nathan B. Forrest, B. Franklin Cheatham, and Cleburne all advised against an attack over open fields against entrenchments and artillery.

As General Cleburne mounted his horse to return to his division, Hood ordered:

“General, form your division to the right of the pike, letting your left overlap the same. General Brown will form on the left with his right overlapping your left. I wish you to move on the enemy. Give orders to your men not to fire a gun until you run the Yankee skirmish line from behind the first line of works in your front, then press them and shoot them in their backs as they run to their main line; then charge the enemy works. Franklin is the key to Nashville and Nashville is the key to independence.”

Cleburne replied, “General, I will take the works or fall in the attempt.”

…Before the fateful Battle of Franklin, General Cleburne held his last meeting with his brigade commanders on Breezy Hill. Brigadier General Daniel C. Govan felt that General Cleburne was “greatly depressed.” General Cleburne emphasized Hood’s orders that the Federal works must be carried by the point of the bayonet at all hazards. Govan saluted and said, “Well, General, few of us will ever return to Arkansas to tell the story of this battle.” Cleburne replied with a sentiment that was prevalent in most of the hearts of the men in the gallant Army of Tennessee: “Well, Govan, if we are to die, let us die like men.”​

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A quote from a song about Hood, sung to the tune of Yellow Rose of Texas:

Confederates like soldiers everywhere could still express their views with a wry sense of humor.

The remnants of Hoods army marching to join Johnston Made up this little ditty.
Sung to the tune of “Yellow Rose of Texas”.

My feet are torn and bloody,
My heart is full of woe,
I’m going back to Georgia To find my uncle Joe[Johnston].
You may talk about your Beauregard,
You may sing of Bobby Lee,
But the gallant Hood of Texas
He played hell in Tennessee.

While in Thailand I served under an army colonel who had fought in WW II. I learned that as a company commander he was ordered to take a hill that was occupied by German forces. His response was that since it was going to cost his company anyway, he was going to do it his way. He waited until morning when there was a heavy fog. He led his company around the German side of the hill and marched them up right behind the German forces making their daily relief of the troops holding the hill. He captured not only the defenders but their relief, with few losses in his company. “Hey, diddle diddle, right up the middle,” is probably the least effective way to take any objective.

Joseph P. Martino
very good IDEA, sometimes one cannot capture all the words ,
WHEN IT’S SANG,
but now we can sing on it, and understand the heroic smart strategy of that COMMANDER,
AH YES THERE IS SO MANY GOOD STORY TO TELL FROM THE WAR, ALL OF THEM,
IT WOULD TAKE A BIG BOOK TO RELATE EVEN HALF OF IT,
THAT WHOULD MAKE A SUPER LEARNING LESSON TO THE YOUNG IN AMERICA, TO LEARN OF COURAGE AND INTELLIGENCE IN STRATEGIC ACTIONS THEY USE AND HOW GOOD THEY CAN PERCIEVE THE NEXT MOVE FROM THEIR ENEMY, IT’S A GOOD LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR THE YOUNG AMERICAN TO KNOW BETTER THEIR PAST ANCESTOR,
TO LEARN OF
THE SMARTEST ARE AMERICANS ON THIS GLOBE,
AND THEY CAN PROVE IT MANY TIMES,
IT WOULD BRING UP THEIR PRIDE TO BELONG,
WHERE SO MANY BRAVES LOST THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR FREEDOM, AND THE VETERANS,
SOME WOUNDED WHO CAN SHOW SUCH HIGH SPIRIT IN THE HEALING PROCESS,
THAT ALSO SHOULD BE LEARNED IN ALL THE SCHOOLS OF AMERICA, SO THEY WILL KNOW WHERE THE BRAVES ARE HERE CLOSE TO THEM AND SAME AS THEM,AND NOT IN OTHER COUNTRY WHERE THERE IS SO MUCH INDOCTRINATION COMMING FROM,
WHERE THE LEADER IS MORE INFLUENCE BY THEM,
THEN BY THESE HERE COURAGEOUS GIANTS AMERICANS,
OF THIS UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
BEST TO YOU FOR ALL THE NEW YEAR COMING

This has nothing to do with the topic of thread, but I couldn’t resist it after someone mentioned the Peter Principle. When I was at the Air War College, it was the custom for the Commandant to introduce each faculty member the first time they were scheduled to give us a lecture. One morning he introduced a colonel: “This is Colonel X, the father of twelve children, and the War College’s foremost advocate of the Peter Principle.”