Final answer:
General Patrick Cleburne's recommendation to enlist slaves and promise them their freedom sparked a heated debate among Confederate leaders and was ultimately rejected.
Step-by-step explanation:
General Patrick Cleburne's recommendation to enlist slaves and promise them their freedom if they remained loyal to the Confederacy was a significant and controversial proposal during the Civil War. However, the significance of this recommendation is that it sparked a heated debate among Confederate leaders and was ultimately rejected. While some Confederate leaders recognized the need for additional manpower and supported the idea, many others were strongly opposed to arming slaves and giving them the promise of freedom.