Unveiling General Cleburne

Via SHNV

  *'If we must die, let us die like a man.”

*Incorrect. S/B   

NamSouth

"Well, Govan, if we must die, let us die like men."
Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne
 

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The Daily World

VERBATIM

• Supporters of the Helena Museum of Phillips County gathered Wednesday evening just outside the facility to celebrate the unveiling of a bronze statue of Confederate Civil War General Patrick R. Cleburne.
  
  As the drum rolled, the statue's sculptor, J. David Nunneley of Broken Arrow removed the covering to a rousing round of applause. Nunneley then proceeded to give a brief history of his work.
  
  “I read a lot of books and did a lot of research before I actually began the work,” said Nunneley. “This is Cleburne on the last day of his life.”
  
  Cleburne, frequently referred to as “The Stonewall of the West”, was killed during the battle of Franklin, Tenn. on Nov. 30, 1864. More than 6,000 Confederate and Union troops lost their lives that fateful day.
  
  According to Nunneley, the battle of Franklin lasted more than five hours. Two horses were shot out from underneath the general before he was mortally wounded himself.
  
  “It is reported that Cleburne told one of his fellow officers before he mounted his horse the final time, 'If we must die, let us die like a man.”
  
  The statue of Cleburne sits just across the street from the site of his original home, the property that now is Smith's Insurance agency. According to Nunneley, Cleburne's statue faces the location where his dog was buried, the parking lot behind the insurance company.
  
  The statue was made possible by a grant from the Arkansas Arts Council to the Arkansas Delta Arts Partnership. The Helena-West Helena Advertising and Promotion Commission provided the matching funds.