Leonidas Polk

[CivilWarBuff 1986]

What are your thoughts on Leonidas Polk??

 

[EJ Zander]

This should be good.

 

[rpkennedy]

In the running for worst general of the war.

R

 

[Wilder72IN]

My feelings for Polk "The Bishop" are mixed. I think he bickered too much with Bragg and his on the field performance was less than stellar. In fact it was pretty lackluster. His nearly four hour delay on the second day of Chickamauga, really hurt any Confederate momentum going into that day. I think that Davis should never have appointed him to such a high rank that was based on the strength of Polk's friendship with Davis than anything else. But for some reason, The Bishop fascinates me though I really can't describe why. Whenever I'm reading something and Polk messes up, I just sigh "Oh Leonidas" under my breath and continue.

 

[diane]

Polk is one of the war's characters, that's for sure, and I have to blame a lot of the Southern defeat on his actions in the west. That said, he's probably - like most heavily criticized people in our CW - better than he's been painted to be. That's not really much of a compliment, considering his sizable failings in military matters (such as pushing Kentucky right into Lincoln's welcoming arms) and his undermining of his superiors. Bragg's biggest problem - and he had problems aplenty just being Bragg - was Polk and a cabal of officers determined to rid themselves of a guy whose job each thought they could do better. Polk was convinced he was the exactly perfect person to replace Bragg. Unfortunately, the good bishop had left his true calling which was the church! Hood and Joe Johnston were both baptized by him, and he had recruited a large number of men in his parishes - this and his good character represented him favorably in Davis' eyes. Sadly, Davis could see no wrong in the bishop and supported him even after it had become clear he was not worthy of the support. The friendship, yes, but not the leadership of an army! His first real battle was against the redoubtable Ulysses S Grant, who was by no means redoubtable at the time, and he stoutly defended his position. It was considered a Union victory, but only by the skin of Grant's teeth. (Grant didn't mind - a win was a win!) Eventually, he really came to be a serious minus to the AoT. The damage to the AoT's high command was already irrevocable when Dilger removed the bishop once and for all. Sherman, seeing a group of Confederate officers conferring in an open field on top of a mountain was angered and ordered his artillery to take a little sauce off their goose. Dilger obliged - "Joost tickle dem fellers up dere!" He tickled Bishop Polk to death!

 

[KeyserSoze]

"We killed Bishop Polk yesterday and have made good progress today..." - William Sherman, June 15, 1864

 

[JeffBrooks]

He was, by all accounts, a good bishop. Quite a nice dresser, too.

 

[BrassVols]

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

So, ' Military Bishop' ( those are not dismissive quotes, they're isolating the words from the historic marker ), was a title given to Polk by the army hierchy? And was it usual to have a religious figure also lead troops, or wasn't he really a religious figure in the army, like we'd think of as having chaplain duties? Not being at all familiar with some men, hadn't known he WAS ' Bishop'.

 

[donna]

Leonidas Polk married John Hunt Morgan and Martha "Mattie" Ready of Murfreesboro, Tn. at her family home. There is wonderful painting and subsequent prints of the Wedding by John Paul Strain. It is called "Morgan's Wedding". There is picture of the original painting in the book, "The Longest Raid".

There were many Confederates present for this wedding, including Basil Duke, Morgan's brother-in-law, Lt. General William J. Hardee, Maj. General John C. Breckinridge, and General Roger W. Hanson. General Braxton Bragg was one of the groomsmen along with Horace Ready, Mattie's brother, and Col. George St. Leger Grenfell.

According to General Basil Duke's book, he indicates President Davis was there, but there is no other real evidence but his writing. Davis had been in the area but some don't think he was actually at the wedding. I would tend to believe Duke being Morgan's brother-in-law and by other things he wrote in his book. The Duke book is titled "The Civil War Reminiscences of General Basil W. Duke, C.S.A.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

While not an expert on the good bishop, my overall impression is that he should have stuck to the clergy. If I recall correctly, though, he was at least occasionally of that feeling himself, but Jeff Davis talked him into staying on for some Davis-esque reason.

(Yes, JPK, he was an actual bishop-- he'd been to West Point, but instead of remaining with the army, he went into the clergy. He seems to have been widely respected as a man of the cloth, whatever his prowess as a military man.)

Polk did have the dubious benefit of being outdone in the area of competence (?) by Gideon Pillow in the West in the early part of the war...

 

[Klaudly]

Almost the worst general of the war

 

[Nathanb1]

 

[cash]

He did much for the Union cause.

 

[diane]

He did much for the Union cause.

That's for sure. When you examine the battles from Perryville clear through Chickamauga, you can see that the weevil in the flour barrel of the AoT's high command was Polk. Couldn't have been better if he'd been on Lincoln's payroll! A S Johnston explicitly ordered him to stay his bum out of Kentucky but Polk decided the Union massing along the Ohio River needed to be dealt with, and Columbus was the best place for that. Grant was hovering there - there had already been Union incursions into Kentucky but not sufficient to tick off the Kentuckians. Johnston had another plan in motion - pretty ambitious and daring but likely to thwart the Union forces in middle and eastern Tennessee. Kentucky was excellent as it was - neutrality worked for Johnston as it kept a buffer against Union troops operating from there against him. Davis was content as the political situation was prime for him to let Kentucky secession sentiments ripen like an old wine. Polk freaked when he noticed Union troops under Grant trying to breathe down his neck and decided - entirely on his own - that Kentucky needed protection in the form of his army. When he occupied Columbus, he stepped with a royal splat in the cake Johnston was carefully baking! This started the whole domino effect of Confederate defeat - Ft Donelson, Shiloh and on down. Guess the bishop was still doing God's work whether he knew it or not - Lincoln said he'd like to have God on his side but he needed Kentucky. Polk gave it to him!

 

[CivilWarBuff 1986]

I got to admit though, the Polk family does have a lengthy history here in the United States. I work with a great great grandson of General Polk but he doesn't talk much about him.

 

[gunny]

Not to say Polk was all of that, but... couldn't much of the bickering, etc. by Polk about Bragg have been attributed more-so to Bragg than to Polk. Besides, it wasn't just Polk complaining about Bragg. Bragg seemed to be the one that wouldn't let things go, for example, he opened up the Kentucky Campaign can of worms well after Murfreesboro, and just wouldn't let the army settle back down to business.

Was Polk offered the job to command the army in place of Bragg. I don't think so, but maybe. Polk seems to be the guy that glued the cohesion of the army together - good or bad. They all loved him it appears to me. Did they just over-look his errors or agree with his position when it came to tactical and/or strategic planning?

The only time I'm aware of that Hardee "rolled his eyes" at Polk, was at his and Hood's insistence that they retire from the ridge south of Cassville. Obviously Hardee felt he could hold his line, but Hood and Polk witnessed otherwise before dark.

Jamie

 

[James N.]

Confederate "common soldiers" like Sam Watkins appreciated Polk and were saddened by his loss and I think the army was demoralized somewhat for a time because of it. In Company Aytch Watkins wrote,

...My pen and ability is inadequate to the task of doing his memory justice. Every private soldier loved him. Second to Stonewall Jackson, his loss was the greatest the South ever sustained. When I saw him there dead, I felt that I had lost a friend whom I had ever loved and respected, and that the South had lost one of her best and greatest generals.

His soldiers always loved and honored him. They called him "Bishop Polk." "Bishop Polk" was ever a favorite with the army, and when any position was to be held, and it was known that "Bishop Polk" was there, we knew and felt that "all was well."

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

Confederate "common soldiers" like Sam Watkins appreciated Polk and were saddened by his loss and I think the army was demoralized somewhat for a time because of it.

Polk wasn't the only general of (legitmately) questionable ability to be appreciated by his men. Ben Butler's men in the Army of the James were the beneficiaries of his undoubted administrative abilities, and noted that they had fresh meat, soft bread, and vegetables where other commands were on sowbelly and hardtack... they said that "Old Cockeye" couldn't sit a horse, but he could set a table!

 

[gunny]

Memphis daily appeal., May 13, 1864, Image 2
About Memphis daily appeal. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, Col. 3, WAVERLY
"THE WORK GOES BRAVELY ON."

IN FRONT OF DALTON, Thursday Morning, May12, 1864.

The arrival of Lieut. Gen. Polk has cheered every one amazingly. To say that it renews the confidence of the troops would be an error, for they have never faltered in their confidence; but there is something inspiring about the presence of this gallant old man, which fills up the heart like a chaunt or poem. There is also much in association, and Gen. Polk has shared the fortunes and misfortunes of the army so long, that the members regard him with sincere affection. He was their comrade at Shiloh, he commanded them at Perryville, he braved the battle cloud with the best of them at Murfreesboro, and he was sacrificed at Chicamauga. He has missed but one battle, and that was better missed than not. In a word, all their ideas of the past are connected in one way or another with him, and now that he is come again, after an absence of half a year, they welcome him with open arms.

A large crowd was waiting at the depot yesterday for his arrival. The train moved in at length, and the general appeared as natural as ever. Gen. Cheatham was the first to grasp him by the hand and give him a hearty greeting "home again." Gov. Harris, Gen. Maney and others were present, and after a few moments of cheerful conversation the general proceeded to the headquarters of the commander-in-chief. He was accompanied by his aids, Cols. McNairy and Gale."

Jamie