Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Oh no, He'll Not Need Them Again

Early in the morning before the Battle of Franklin... Major General Patrick Cleburne rode the lines... encouraging his men. At some point he came upon a Captain... and noticed the man was barefoot... and his feet were bleeding and sore. Cleburne called to the man...

"Captain... will you kindly pull off my boots?" The man was suprised... but did as his commanding officer ordered.

"Thank you Captain... now will you mind trying them on? See if they fit you."

The captain did this also.

Once the man was wearing the boots... Cleburne mounted his horse and said, "Captain I am tired of wearing those boots. I would do well without them." The captain and his men protested of course... but Cleburne would hear none of it... he simply rode away.

Cleburne was killed in battle that day... and was removed from the field in the same condition he left the captain.

It is said... though I have never been able to confirm it so... that Cleburne was buried with without boots... and that all the officers present were also barefoot.

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