Patrick R. Cleburne Confederate Cemetery is a memorial cemetery located in the city of

Jonesboro, Georgia Jonesboro is a city in and the county seat of Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,724 as of the 2010 census. The city's name was originally spelled Jonesborough. During the Civil War, the final skirmish in the Atlanta Cam ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was named in honor of General

Patrick Cleburne Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne ( ; March 16, 1828November 30, 1864) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Born in Ireland, Cleburne served in the 4 ...

. This cemetery was a burial site for Confederate soldiers who died in the

Battle of Jonesboro The Battle of Jonesborough (August 31–September 1, 1864) was fought between Union Army forces led by William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate forces under William J. Hardee during the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. On the first ...

in 1864. This cemetery is open daily until dusk. It is one of six Confederate cemeteries maintained by the Georgia Building Authority.Georgia Building Authority (1997). Patrick R. Cleburne Confederate Cemetery. Galileo. After the

, fallen soldiers under leadership of

Stephen D. Lee Stephen Dill Lee (September 22, 1833 – May 28, 1908) was an American officer in the Confederate Army, politician and first president of Mississippi State University from 1880 to 1899. He served as lieutenant general of the Confederate ...

and William J. Hardee were buried as unknown soldiers where they initially died at. In 1872, after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

ended, the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

funded $1,000 so that the soldiers could be relocated and reburied in a general area. Initially, each grave was marked with a tin marker; however, by the 1930s, the markers were gone. The Patrick R. Cleburne Confederate Cemetery has 712 headstones with only three marked headstones. The three known soldiers in this cemetery are Agnatius Brooke, Robert Lindsay and Abner Joel Yancey. The headstones are patterned in the shape of the

Confederate Flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

. The walkways are shaped in the letter X and graves fill in the triangles of the X. It is estimated that 600–1000 Confederate soldiers are buried here. The history behind this cemetery and other confederate cemeteries in Georgia is a mystery and continues to be researched today. Organizations continue to preserve historic documents and present new information to understand the history of Georgia and its confederate soldiers during the

Events and traditions

* In 1934, a granite monument, stone and metal fence, and stone archway were added. The ceremonies were attended by the last two survivors of the battle. * In 1971,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

governor

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

assigned the upkeep of the six Georgian Confederate cemeteries to the Georgia Building Authority. * A grave-marking ceremony was held in honor of twice named Roll of Honor, Ensign Robert Lindsey, a fallen confederate soldier, from Company D, 4th Kentucky Infantry during May 1992 at the Patrick R. Cleburne Confederate Cemetery. He died in

Clayton County, Georgia Clayton County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2021, the population was estimated to be 297,100 by the Census Bureau. The county seat is Jonesboro. Clayton County is included in the Atlanta metr ...

while carrying the company colors to the line. The exact grave site is unknown; however, the 4th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry and the Frankie Lyle chapter of

United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...

placed a marker in his honor at the cemetery. * On Sunday, April 24, 1999 the

and the

Sons of Confederate Veterans The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohis ...

held the annual Confederate Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery with re-enactors of the Civil War led by a bagpiper. The re-enactors performed the

21-gun salute A 21-gun salute is the most commonly recognized of the customary gun salutes that are performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honor. As naval customs evolved, 21 guns came to be fired for heads of state, or in exceptiona ...

in confederate uniforms. Scott Gilbert, relative of the last confederate living in

Henry County, Georgia Henry County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. Per the 2020 census, the population of Henry County is 240,712, up from 203,922 in 2010. The county seat is McDonough. The county was named for Patrick Henry. ...

, Judge A.G. Harris, spoke to the crowd.Souza, J. (1999, April 22). "Confederate observances this weekend". ''The Atlanta Journal Constitution'', 5JI.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Confederate States of America cemeteries Cemeteries in Georgia (U.S. state) Protected areas of Clayton County, Georgia 1872 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)