An award-winning artist in Tennessee has donated a limited edition print of Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne to be displayed in the Johnson County Courthouse.
Commissioners will accept the donated print at their 9 a.m. meeting Monday.
In “Cleburne,” by artist David Wright, the general is shown surveying his troops before his fatal charge against Gen. Schofield’s entrenched troops during the Civil War in Franklin, Tenn.
Six confederate generals died in the Battle of Franklin, Wright said.
Cleburne sits astride a horse, leaning over his left shoulder with a concerned expression before the battle that ultimately took his life. Confederate troops can be seen in the background waiting for his command.
“I painted Cleburne for two reasons,” Wright said. “I was doing a series of great confederate generals. I’ve been a history buff since childhood, so I am aware of all these guys.
“Cleburne rose to the top in my research because of his good generalship and the fact that he was not a native-born American. He was from Ireland and still wound up being one of the better generals in the war. I chose the location of the Franklin battle because I live about 40 miles from Franklin and knew it very intimately. I researched it and know the place where he died. The painting shows Cleburne two or three hours before he was killed.”
Wright’s work can be found in museums throughout the country, and he has provided historical consultation and art direction to the History Channel, earning him a Prime Time Emmy nomination for his work on “First Invasion — The War of 1812.”
His oil paintings sell for thousands of dollars and have been featured in television documentaries and as covers and illustrations for numerous books and magazines, according to his Web site.
The original painting of Cleburne is acrylic, Wright said, and hangs in Tennessee State Museum’s permanent collection.
Cleburne was a Tennessee man who managed several regiments during the Civil War, one of which was a Texas regiment under the command of Gen. Hiram Granbury, who died with Cleburne in the Battle of Franklin.
Wright said he did not know of a Cleburne, Texas, until he finished the painting and was told about it by a few of his collectors.
“I’m glad that someone somewhere in Cleburne thinks enough of it to publicly display it,” he said. “I’m honored to know it will be hanging there.”
The idea of donating the painting originated at Dry Fork Church in Bethpage, Tenn., founded by ancestors of a Johnson County man, Mike Beard, who often writes for Times-Review publications.
Beard went to the church in October to meet his friend, the church’s pastor Andrew Ward, who notified Beard of Wright’s painting.
“[Ward] told me of a good friend who was an artist that had some paintings of Cleburne and that I should visit his Web site,” Beard said. “When I did, I was taken with all his work, but the magnificent painting entitled ‘Cleburne’ so vividly depicted his character, one could almost read his thoughts.
“I had mentioned the fact that the Johnson County Courthouse had recently been restored. Pastor Ward offered to contact Mr. Wright to see if he would like to donate a print of ‘Cleburne’ for the courthouse. It was strictly through the thoughtfulness of Andrew Ward and the gracious generosity of artist David Wright that this wonderful gift to the citizens of Johnson County.
“After the Civil War, some of the surviving soldiers who had served under Cleburne’s command returned to Johnson County. About the same time the county moved to what was then Camp Henderson, the citizens elected to name the new community Cleburne, in honor of the fallen Confederate Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne.”
Beard will be at Monday’s meeting to see officials accept the limited edition print.
Cleburne
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Artist donates Cleburne print for courthouse
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