Columbia Tenn
Dec 28th 1864

Dear Sister,

I received a long letter from you today. I reply not because there is anything of importance transpiring just at present, but because when the most happens is the time I am entirely unable to write. Since I was last at Columbia we have had some stirring times. Hood drove us back to Nashville. We had a very severe battle at Franklin during which our Regiment lost in killed wounded & captured some thing over half its men. After that we were in the big fight at Nashville & our company lost its Commanding Officer, a fine man who was shot through the breast & had an arm broken by a musket ball. But the success atoned for all the loss & more. Hood has halted at Columbia again. The rest of the Army has gone down after Hood. How long we shall remain here idle I know not but presume we shall have plenty to do. Sherman has taken Savannah & Hardee has escaped with his 15,000 men & will probably reinforce Hood which will give him a chance to show us considerable fight. But we shall conquer in the end. The right will triumph in the end. Charleston will be taken next and all important Sea ports. Christmas is over & I thought often of the fine times you were having at home. We had rather hard times living on hard tack & sow belly. It is quite cold to night, I have just had an argument on Slavery with the Captain who is for allowing the slaveholders credit for honesty on account of early education and I am not. I would just as — take a horse or hoe from one of these men as not. But I must stop writing. Having passed safely through the Battle of Franklin I expect good times for a while. Let me know if any thing new happening and you hear from Thomas.

Goodbye.

Your Bro. A.M.Weston

(Asa M. Weston enlisted on 8/11/62 as Sergeant in Company K, 50th Ohio Infantry, 3/4/65 promoted to Sgt Major, 4/22/65 promoted to 2nd Lt, 6/26/65 mustered out at Salisbury, NC)

Asa M. Weston, a member of the 50th Ohio. Weston was a sergeant in Company K.

Unless you’re a real Civil War buff, meaning, you’re fairly knowledgeable about Civil War-era small arms, you’re not likely to have much interest in the news that Confederate General Patrick R. Cleburne’s .36 calibre Colt revolver is coming to Franklin, Tennessee. The revolver will be displayed with his Kepi, or hat, that he was wearing on the evening he was killed in the Battle of Franklin on 30 November 1864. But you don’t have to be a Civil War afficionado to appreciate a great story, and the story of how Cleburne’s pistol is making its way back to Franklin, after more than 143 years, is quite amazing.

The story behind how the Cleburne pistol ended up in the worthy possession of the Layland Museum in Cleburne, Texas, has all the intrigue of a mystery-novel and the hoopla, at times, of a story right out of Ripley’s Believe-It-Or-Not.

Photo courtesy of the Layland Museum, Cleburne, Texas

Click here to see many more pictures of the pistol and Kepi

The last time the Kepi and pistol were together: early December 1864

The story starts 30 November 1864, when CSA General Patrick R. Cleburne, himself an Irish-born immigrant, was killed by a single-shot to the chest. Gen. Cleburne was carrying a .36 calibre Colt revolver during the Confederate assault upon the Yankee breastworks near the Carter farm in Franklin, Tennessee. [See map]

The next morning, Cleburne’s body was removed to the local field hospital, the McGavock residence, also known as Carnton. What is clear is what was missing on his person when his body arrived that morning: his boots, diary and sword belt. Later in the day, Cleburne’s aide, Lt. Leonard Mangum, found the sword belt with another soldier. What is unclear is just what immediately happened to the pistol. There is no record of it being stated as missing, but then there is also no record stating positively what had happened to it. Carnton historian Eric Jacobson believes that the McGavock’s never had the pistol. The pistol finally shows up in Texas much later. How it got there may likely always be a mystery.

The bodies of four Confederate Generals were placed on the back porch at Carnton on Thursday morning, December 1st, 1864. Besides Patrick Cleburne, it is believed that Generals Strahl, Granbury and Adams’s bodies were placed on the porch, beneath the windows on the right.

What happened with the pistol between 1864 and 1900 is a real mystery.

The next 30 years roughly – 1870s to 1900 – were murky history at best. We’re really not sure what exactly happened with the pistol during that period of time.

The story can be fairly confidently picked up in the mid 1890s, though with some reliance upon the veracity of oral tradition. It seems that a Texas man, perhaps a veteran Confederate soldier or descendant, had found himself as owner of the ‘precious’. However, in the mid 1890s he found himself down on his luck and decided to sell the pistol to improve his lot. So the pistol transfered into the hands about this time to a man named Seakrats.

Seakrats, circa 1900, apparently recognized the inscription on the weapon enough to decide that a local Confederate Veterans Camp – Pat Cleburne Camp #88 – might be the right home for the revolver. So Seakrats turned the precious relic over to the Pat Cleburne Camp #88 around the turn of the twentieth century. Does the story end there? Not even close.

What happened to the pistol from 1900 to roughly 1913?

The Captain of Camp #88 was O.T. Plummer. In an effort to verify the pistol as having originally been owned by Cleburne, he had the Camp Adjutant, Matthew Kahle, take the gun to Helena, Arkansas. Cleburne lived in Helena prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. Post-war veterans and colleagues of Cleburne still lived there and were able to attest to its authenticity. The Helena group verified it as unequivocally having belonged to Patrick Cleburne. However they thought the best home for it would be Helena. But, not feeling he was authorized to give it to them, Kahle returned to Cleburne, Texas – named after the General – with said-treasure in stow.

So, from 1900 – 1913, the much-coveted relic was in the possession of a man named James Voluntine Hampton in Cleburne, Texas. The story continues and the twists and turns got even wilder.

What happened between 1913 and 1944? Possibly stolen.

Mr. Hampton walked into the new Cleburne county courthouse in 1913 and revealed he had the pistol. Apparently, he handed over the revolver where it promptly was placed into a desk-drawer where it was kept for years; how many we’re not sure. There is some belief that the pistol may have even been stolen during the Great Depression era and was possibly missing for at least a decade, leading up to 1944.

The next chapter is incredible. A couple boys found the gun on the banks of the Nolan River in 1944. They sold it to a scrap dealer for the princely sum of $5 dollars. By now, it was in fairly poor condition. The dealer noticed an inscription, and after confirming with the town Sheriff that it appeared to be Cleburne’s name on it, they contacted the President of the local United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) chapter, who just happened to be the daughter of . . . . O.T. Plummer. She agreed it was authentic and bought it for $5 bucks. Thus the proud owner of the ‘precious’ in 1944 is now the UDC. End of story? Nope.

Mystery again between 1955 to 1970.

From 1944 until 1955, it’s not altogether clear where exactly the gun was stored. But in 1955, it resurfaced again when a gun-restorer offered to restore it, which he did. He apparently was not the best restorer of small-arms weapons – at least not this one. The attempt to restore it saw the degradation of some of the engravings on the barrel, frame and cylinder. However, the inscription of “P. R. Cleburne” on the backstrap largely avoided any damage and remained intact and clearly legible.

In 1960, the gun was moved to the National Guard Armory – a former WWII United States Government-leased property for utilization as a German prisoner of war camp. After the armory was closed in the late 1960s, the pistol wound up in Austin, Texas. Around 1970, it was put on display in the State Capitol in their Civil War room.

What happened to the pistol from 1971 to 1978?

Still looking for a permanent resting place, the revolver was returned back to Cleburne, Texas, in 1971, where it was superintended by the Chamber of Commerce . . . . who ended up giving it back to the UDC. The UDC allowed the pistol to become part of the Layland Museum in Cleburne, Texas, in 1978, where it has been ever since.

Where is the pistol now?

And finally . . . in March, 2007, the UDC chapter that owned it, donated it to the Layland Museum.

End of story? Sort of . . .

The story will turn full circle on June 20th, 2008, at Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee, when for the first time since December 1st, 1864, the original Cleburne pistol is reunited with the original Cleburne Kepi, or hat, that the General – Stonewall of the West – wore into battle the fateful Indian summer evening on Wednesday, 30 November 1864.

As Cleburne strode into battle that evening, a fellow General had commented to the Irish commander that the prospect of the forthcoming assault of John Bell Hood’s Army of Tennessee did not look promising at all, to which Patrick Cleburne replied, “Well Govan, if we are going to die, let us die like men.”

General Cleburne, sir.

To you, we tip your hat this day, as we celebrate the reunion of your Kepi and pistol, on the very ground you shed your blood upon, for a cause you deemed worthy, paying the last full measure of devotion. Rest in peace, General.

Your Humble, Obedient Servants . . . .

The Franklin, Tennessee, community

Note: The above article was written by Kraig McNutt, Director of The Center for the Study of the American Civil War, and fellow member of The Franklin Civil War Roundtable. Assistance with research was provided by Carnton historian Eric A. Jacobson; Carnton Curator Manager, Joanna Stephens; and Curator of The Layland Museum, Ben Hammons.

Click here to see many more pictures of the pistol and Kepi

Want to see the pistol and Kepi in-person?

The Cleburne pistol and Kepi will be on display at Carnton in Franklin, Tennessee from the 15th through the 21st of June at Carnton. On Friday, the 20th, there is a 7:30 p.m. reception that is FREE to the public. Historian Thomas Cartwright will speak about Cleburne’s upbringing and life; and Carnton historian, Eric A. Jacobson, will speak about Cleburne’s military service.

Afterwards, tours led to see the relics on display are available (for a fee).

Carnton Hours of Operation

Monday thru Saturday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission Prices:

Adults: $12.00
Seniors (over 65): $10.00
Children 6 – 12: $5.00
Children under 5: free
Grounds tour only: $5.00

Please call for group and school rates.

Call 615-794-0903 if you need help along the way.

About 4pm on November 30, 1864, C.S.A. General John Bell Hood launched a frontal attack against the Federal troops of the 23rd and 4th Corps of General John M. Schofield. The Confederate Army of Tennessee marched in mass formation across open ground, mostly flat, for nearly two miles before clashing with the Federal line.

On a few battlefields, massed enemy formations could be seen at a considerable distance, at least before the firing began in earnest. Robert G. Carter of the 22nd Massachusetts wrote of the sight of oncoming Confederates on the second day of Gettysburg: “The indistinct form of masses of men, presenting the usual, dirty, greyish, irregular line, were dimly visible and moving up with defiant yells, while here and there the cross-barred Confederate battle flags were plainly to be seen.” Rebel lines also were fully visible at Antietam, Franklin, Bentonville, and a number of other engagements.
The Union Soldier in Battle: Enduring the Ordeal of Combat. Earl J. Hess, p. 12

View of terrain, looking south, Confederate Army of Tennessee marched across for over one mile at Battle of Franklin

Confederate General John Bell Hood had this basic view of the (then) open ground between Winstead Hill and the entrenched Federal line near Fountain Branch Carter’s property in November 1864. The entire Confederate Army of Tennessee (about 20,000) was positioned here, facing north as in the picture, before they started the quick-step march toward the Federal army (about 22,000).

Original view

Picture credit: Historical Markers of Williamson County, Rick Warwick, p. 174

Contemporary view

Picture credit: author of blog

The Confederate Army of Tennessee marched across over open ground for over a mile before they finally reached the Federal line near downtown Franklin. A soldier in the 104th Ohio wrote about that scene. Hess writes about this kind of troop assault movement then quotes the Ohio soldier:

When the terrain and vegetation allowed the troops to fire at longer ranges, they could maximize the damage done to attacking forces. At the battle of Franklin, Confederate division advanced over open, rolling ground for a mile before they attacked heavy fortifications. The Federals were ready for them and opened fire as soon as they could. Andrew Moon of the 104th Ohio scampered over the battlefield that night before his regiment pulled out of the works.

“Well, for 400 yards in front, I could hardly step without stepping on dead and wounded men. The ground was in a perfect slop and mud with blood and, oh, such cries that would come up from the wounded was awful.”

The Union Soldier in Battle: Enduring the Ordeal of Combat. Earl J. Hess, p. 156

Massed troop formation in the re-enactment of the Battle of Franklin.

Franklin’s Charge will host their second annual Civil War symposium June 19-21st titled, Fighting for the Heartland, A Symposium Exploring the Stories of the Civil War in Tennessee.

To learn more visit the Franklin’s Charge web site.

To see a photo gallery of the 2007 Franklin’s Charge symposium-event click here.

Author Robert Hicks – The Widow of the South – spoke at last year’s Franklin’s Charge symposium.

Photo credit – The Civil War Gazette, Copyright 2007.

O.R.–SERIES I–VOLUME XLV/1 [S# 93]
NOVEMBER 14, 1864-JANUARY 23, 1865.–Campaign in North Alabama and Middle Tennessee.
No. 12.–Reports of Surg. J. Theodore Heard, Medical Director, Fourth Army Corps, of operations November 29-30 and December 15-16, 1864.

HEADQUARTERS FOURTH ARMY CORPS,
MEDICAL DIRECTOR’S OFFICE,
Nashville, Tenn., December 12, 1864.
SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of the medical department of the Fourth Army Corps at the battles of Spring Hill and Franklin, November 29 and 30, respectively:
On the morning of the 29th of November the Fourth Corps (three divisions) and the Twenty-third Corps (two divisions) were in position on the north bank of Duck River, opposite Columbia, Tenn. The enemy, or the larger portion of the rebel army, was upon the south bank and confronting our lines. At 9 a.m. the Second Division, Fourth Corps, marched for Spring Hill, accompanied by and guarding all the trains of the army, with the exception of twenty ambulances left with the First and Third Divisions, Fourth Corps, which divisions were ordered to remain with the Twenty-third Corps until dark and then withdraw with the rest of the army. About 2 p.m., the head of column being within one mile of Spring Hill, the general commanding was informed that the cavalry of the enemy was pushing back our cavalry and rapidly approaching the town. The troops were at once pushed forward at double-quick, passed through the town, charged the enemy, checked him, and finally caused him to retire. The division was then placed in position to protect the pike on which the trains were moving. About 4 p.m. the right brigade (Third Brigade, Brigadier-General Bradley) was furiously attacked by what afterward proved to be two brigades of rebel infantry. The attack was continued until nearly dark, when our right gave way toward the pike, followed by the enemy. Fortunately, however, all trains had then passed and were parked north of the town, where also division hospitals were temporarily established and the wounded rapidly cared for. A few wounded were unavoidably lost when the right gave way. One hundred and fifteen wounded were brought to hospital. Shortly after dark orders were given to break up hospitals, load ambulances, and be ready to move with the other trains at a moment’s notice. The rest of the army reached Spring Hill about 10 p.m., and continued their march through the town toward Franklin. The hospital and ambulance trains moved at the same time, reaching Franklin at 10 a.m. November 30, without loss, although several times attacked by the enemy’s cavalry. The wounded and sick were shipped by rail to Nashville early in the afternoon. The two divisions of the Twenty-third Corps, with the First and Second Divisions of the Fourth Corps, remained south of Harpeth River and intrenched themselves; the Third Division, Fourth Corps, crossed to the north side of the river, and was not engaged in the battle of Franklin.

At about 1 p.m. November 30 the enemy appeared in force opposite our lines. At 3.30 p.m., as it was determined to withdraw at dark toward Nashville, orders were given to send all trains, except half the ambulances of each division, to Nashville. Soon after the trains were fairly on the road the enemy commenced a furious attack upon the entire lines. Six distinct assaults were made, and, by hard fighting, were repulsed, with great loss to the enemy. As soon as the firing commenced orders were sent for the hospital wagons to be parked in the nearest field, and the tents to be temporarily pitched, all ambulances to return and cross the river. Efforts were then made to obtain a train of cars for the wounded; the commanding general, however, did not deem it best that one should be telegraphed for. Owing to the intense darkness and imperfect provision for crossing and recrossing the river, the movements of ambulances were necessarily retarded. The wounded were collected at hospital as rapidly as possible. The town was thoroughly searched for wounded. Orders were issued for the withdrawal of troops at 12 o’clock. The ambulances worked constantly until 11 p.m., and were then loaded to their utmost with wounded collected at hospitals. Such slight cases of disease as remained were loaded upon army wagons. The hospitals and ambulance trains were the last to draw out, and were closely followed by the troops; 550 wounded were brought off. From all that can be ascertained it is probable that from 75 to 100 wounded of this corps were left in the hands of the enemy. Many rebel wounded fell into our hands, but were left for want of transportation. The ambulance train reached Nashville at 9 a.m. December 1, and the wounded were placed in general hospital. The following casualties occurred in the ambulance corps of Fourth Army Corps.(*)
Lists of wounded and tabular statements of wounded have already been forwarded.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. THEO. HEARD,
Surgeon, U. S. Volunteers.

Surg. GEORGE E. COOPER, U.S. Army,
Medical Director, Department of the Cumberland.

Spotswood H. Hatcher (1831-1891) joined Company A, 45th TN Infantry (CSA) apparently in late 1862. He writes his wife – Mary Jane Andrews Hatcher, on February 7th, 1863:

I would like to come home soon but I am not taking on very much about it. I am getting over my home sick a little & getting a little more cheerful than at first & just take it as a sure thing that I have got to stay away from you and the children during the war (if God spares my life so long.)

If this war will just close soon and I can live at home in peace with you and the children, I think will be one of the happiest days you ever saw. I will know how to appreciate home and the comforts of life, if we shall be in comfortable circumstances. If God spares me and lets me return to my family to live again, I don’t intend that any body shall make a better husband than I will be to you.

Source: Williamson County: The Civil War Years, 2006: p. 10 (by Rick Warwick)
Available from the WCHS.