Bishop and
General
Ix'onidas l*olk. who was born in
Raleigh, hail I lio unusual dis¬
tinction of being a Bishop in the
Episcopal Church and a General
in the Confederate Army at the
same time.
By REV.
С.
T. THRIFT
Bishop and General! Thai is cer-
lainly an unusual combination. War¬
riors have been converted and have
then become preachers, but for any
man to be a Bishop and a General
at the same time is a very rare thing.
Yet it happened to Leonidas Polk,
who was bom in Raleigh. April 10.
1806. He was a cousin of President
James K. Polk.
Leonidas Polk was educated at West
Point, where he graduated in 1827,
receiving a commission in artillery.
While at West Point he came under the
influence of Dr. Mcllvainc, afterwards
Bishop of Ohio, and was converted.
After graduating he resigned from the
military service and prepared for the
ministry of the Protestant Episcopal
Church at the Theological Seminary
in Alexandria, Va. In 1831 he took
priest's orders, being ordained in Rich¬
mond. Va. After a year of church work
he traveled in Europe for the benefit
of his health. Upon his return to Ameri¬
ca he removed to Tennessee. He
served churches at several points in
the South for several years, and his
influence was substantially felt in the
work of his denomination.
In 1838 the General Convention of
his Church appointed him Missionary
Bishop of the Southwest, a field em¬
bracing Arkansas. Indian Territory,
Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama.
He retained this post until elected Bish¬
op of Louisiana in 1841.
Joined the Army
At the outbreak of the War between
the States his sympathies were entirely
with the South. His travels in pursuance
of his episcopal duties made him thor¬
oughly familiar with the lower States
bordering on the Mississippi and he
urged upon President Jefferson Davis
the necessity of their defense. In re¬
sponse he was urged to take a com¬
mission and with the approval of
friends to become a major-general
in June 1861 and accepted the com¬
mand of Department No. 2. which
involved the duty of defense of both
sides of the Mississippi from the mouth
of the Red River to Cairo. III., with
headquarters at Memphis. With his
great abilities, it was only natural
that his career should be successful,
although he led an army only because
of a solemn sense of duty, once or twice
offering his resignation when it seemed
to him others had been found who
could take his place. He bore a dis¬
tinguished part in nearly all the deci¬
sive battles of the West, winning the
loyalty of the men under him. and the
deepest regard of most of the officers
with him.
He led the Southern forces at Bel¬
mont where he was driven from his
camp by General Grant but he re¬
turned and compelled Grant to retire.
He participated in the engagements of
Shiloh and in operations that led to
the evacuation of Corinth. He partici¬
pated in Bragg's invasion of Ken¬
tucky and fought in the battle of
Pcrryvillc. He conducted the retreat
from Kentucky.
Л
Lieutenant-General
In October. 1862. he was made
Lieutenant General and fought at Mur¬
freesboro and Chicamauga. In the last
battle. Bragg charged that Polk's delay
in making attack brought about the
defeat of the Confederates. As a con¬
sequence he was temporarily suspend¬
ed from command but the charge was
dismissed by President Davis, who of¬
fered to re-instate him. but Polk de¬
clined. He assumed command of
paroled prisoners at Enterprise. Miss.,
and when General Joseph E. Johnston
was assigned to command the Arms
of Tennessee, he followed him in com¬
mand of the Department of Alabama.
Mississippi, and Louisiana. He joined
General Johnston in opposing Sher¬
man’s march on Atlanta.
He was killed by a cannon ball
while reconnoitcring on Pine Moun¬
tain. Ga., June 14. 1864. He was at
that time still a Bishop in the Protes¬
tant Episcopal Church while at the
head of an army corps in the Con¬
federate Army.
Besides his eminence in these two
roles of minister and warrior, there
arc two other elements in his life that
single him out as remarkable. In the
early thirties (1834) he recognized
the value of railroads in knitting this
vast country together, thus furnishing
the strongest cords of patriotism. He
made an address on this subject, which
was printed and distributed over the
state of Tennessee. It had marked
effect.
But the crowning act of his thought'
and deeds was the conception of the
University of the South, to be located
at Sewanee, Tenn.. with an endowment
of three million dollars. A charter for
this institution was granted by the state
of Tennessee in 1858. Subscriptions
(Continued on pu^e 22)
7
THE STATE. APRIL 7. 1951
