Captain Reuben Cleary - witnessed the death of Gen. J.M. Jones at the Wilderness

Dave D

Corporal
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Feb 21, 2019
During the opening actions of the Battle of the Wilderness - May 5th 1864 - the Confederate brigade of Brig. Gen. John M. Jones was deployed along the ridge on the western edge of Saunder's field, south of the Orange courthouse turnpike. Some maps and accounts show his regiments arranged in line from the turnpike to the field's southern edge; others seem to indicate that his line may have stretched as far south as Wilderness run.

In the early part of the battle Jones' rightmost regiments were flanked and overrun by elements of Union Maj Gen G.K. Warren's V Corps. Eye witness accounts describe how Jones and his staff were on the turnpike in conference with LtGen Ewell and MG Johnson when they realized that their regiments were being overwhelmed and immediately mounted their horses and rode toward the fighting to try to stop the retreat. This is when General Jones was killed while trying to rally his troops.

Union surgeon William S. Stewart of the 83rd Pennsylvania (Bartlett's brigade) wrote in his memoir, "It was our first battle after the winter's rest and the men drove everything before them, not even waiting for the enemy to surrender or to take any prisoners. Two of the 'boys' afterward offered me the sword of a rebel general whom they had shot as he would not surrender to anyone below his own rank. I declined the loot."

Confederate Lt. McHenry Howard, assistant Adjutant of BG George H. Steuart, wrote in his 1914 book ("Recollections of a Maryland Confederate soldier and staff officer ... ", page 273), "... Jones himself, apparently disdaining to fly, was killed while sitting on his horse gazing at the approaching enemy; so his death was described to me by Captain Cleary of his staff." Captain Cleary is Captain Reuben Cleary who was Acting Assistant Adjutant General for General Jones. Lt. Howard and Capt Cleary served together on the staff of Gen. George Washington Custis Lee near the end of the War.

I have wondered if Cleary ever left a diary or wrote any memoirs of these events but, it appears that he left North America for Brazil immediately after war's end - within the Compiled Military Service Records (CMSR) of Confederate Soldiers there is a letter from Cleary to the Military Governor of Alexandria inquiring about obtaining a passport and transportation to Halifax, Nova Scotia. I can find no other information about him in the Official Records or CMSR after May, 1865.

Apparently Cleary was a medical school graduate; a 1909 publication By Medical Society of the District of Columbia, "history of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia: 1817-1909" list a short biography for him :

"REUBEN CLEARY—Born April 27, 1835, Alexandria, D. C. M. D., 1859; A. M., 1860, Georgetown. Asst. Adjt. General, C. S. A. Soon after
the close of the war of 1861-5 he removed to Brazil, where he was employed as civil engineer building a railroad; afterward practiced
medicine at Lages and Rio Janeiro. About 1890 was appointed Sanitary Inspector in U. S. Marine Hospital Service at Rio Janeiro and
held this position until his death, Feb. 12, 1898. Married March 12, 1870, Wilhelmina Schmitt."

So, I've not found any memoirs or diaries but recently, I stumbled upon a dissertation written by a graduate student at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil that describes Reuben Cleary's arrival in Brazil (thru Google translate):

"Dr. Reuben Cleary, a doctor, engineer and former war fighter. Born in Virginia - USA in 1835, arrives in Lages (city in Santa Catarina state)
at the age of 34 (1869) and lodges in the farm of Guilherme [William] Schwartz, a carpenter who also left the United States after
the Civil War. Leaving his countryman's house, he rents a house in the immediate vicinity of the headquarters where he also installed his
office and engineering studio.

Another sketch, written a few years later after Cleary has established a medical practice states :

"According to Licurgo Costa, Rueben Cleary was a tall, corpulent, blond man with well-groomed Swiss beards, who always came out in the
street wearing a bowler hat, kid gloves, a cane and when walking, accompanied one or two of your pure-bred Danish dogs, always well-groomed,
clean and shorn. Also according to Costa, as a good doctor, he did not disregard his craft as an engineer, performing during his stay in the
city, the layout of the Lages-São José highway and building in the quiet and icy city, the first fireplace in the residence where he lived.
In addition, he was a member of the Conservative party and treasurer of the Lageano Literary and Recreational Club. In the 1883 newspapers
there is a record of his role as a physician in thank you notes and announcements of his services."

The paper also provided a photo of Dr. Reuben Cleary taken in 1889 :

Cleary_Brazil_1889.jpg


Finally, there is Reuben Cleary's death notice in the Rio News :

1898_RioNews.jpg



What a life, huh?
 
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Thanks, that was a lot of research.
Thanks - Yes, I keep finding bits and pieces of information that are slowly filling out the story. The quote from surgeon Stewart was sent to me by the historians at the Frederickburg-Spotsylvania National Military Park and I stumbled onto detail about Reuben Cleary when I did a Google search for him in Brazil. However, I bet Cleary left some memoirs of his war service - it would be fascinating to read - I'm still searching.
 
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