New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-06-12
The Lnte General Polh.


/ From the Nashville BANNER
| The selection of a Bishop for The Episcopal do
4 cese Of Louisiana very naturally calls up before
we nlndss eye the figure Of the dead prelate sol
ulef auu gentleman, who occupied the place which
was made vaCalt by round shot ON the I3fh nj
Jte lSo5' ana remained vacant until the appoint
ment OF the Rev Dr. Wilmer Leonfdos Polk was
we hlah-a very eminent and good man toO-and
ls career wiz 60 down TO the future as not least
! remarkable OF his day and ceneratfo, Hal IL
remained in the army FROM the time he loft Wast
Font instead Of going into the pulpit he wonId
have achieved the first honors of the mifforv call
lhS ana, az It was, with all the drawbacks of
| thirty years OF church service engrafted nnon hia
habits life his character and his mode of tbongbt
| he was an able field marshal, handling bis rGrrS
with efficiency and success, and often Commando
fits with prudent skill. No one was more con
scientious, and few were more vigorous or more
| versatile.
We are aware that it was at one time fashion3-
bic to decry his merits as a soldier. Yet when he
fell, the whole army wept. No one doubted the
extent OF the loss and we never failed to perceive
its effect upon subsequent events 1t realized the
| fable of the stomach and the members. The mem.
| bers complained to JOye that the stomach was
idle and lazy, and lived off the rest Jove smote
the stomoch and the members shriyeled and fell
away.
In his personal appearance Gen. Polk was i'm
| posing His figure realized the idea of the Apollo
Belvedere-tall, symmetrical, expressed in 1.-THE
and rotund curves full anda agile, and his face was
model for painter, poet or sculptor 1t was the
very finest we ever looked upon, the hero, the
SAINT, the scholar, the gentleman marking every
aspect and playing iitfully from grace to grace.
As he lay there dead in that little chapel in at.
| Ianta, there was not muscle changed. and he
seemed to sleep as sweety as he died that weary
night after Chickamauga, before he knew that
Richmond had gone to his last account.
But he shone best when under fire. Wrapped
IN his old gray huntiug-shrt. with slouched hat
and sabre, he sat upon his horse, like Water Fritz
and received the leaden compliments Of the enc
my with c0mpldcent, yet not indifferent good hu
NOR. He had habit of Struggling his shoulders
when minnie ball came too close to his ear: aud
| sometimes ne would drop chance word as though
n reply. But he never got ont Of the way for
them, and II there was anything interesting at
! hand was wholly Indifferent to their opporruu
ties,
During the thick Of the fight at Resacca he called
tue writer OF these rude lines and said, youlook
hungry. and must divide my lunch with me-" Some
one mad presented hma box of guava iey aud a
bit OF wheat bread, raritas in those Confederate
times, ] aud the prospect was tempting. But 4"
SAID We would mt it 90 a little better If we were
N a safer place. The old gentleman laughed
kindly and replied, certainly it would" And
we proceeded to find one. We had scarcely seated
ourselves, however, behind an oak tree at the
bottom OF the hill, when q schrapnel came tear.
ing through the air, struck the oak broadside
about thirty feet above US aud praeipitated both.
lunch and all amid a mass OF limbs and fragments
into a gully below.
. |
out of the rubbish you're pretty fellow for
selecting covers Come we may as well take
ourselves back to the front. Nor shalt we ever
forget the way he received the intelligence that
ne was 70 be suspended by Bragg from his com
mand Just after thelbattle Of Chickamauga ana
sent TO Atlanta under arrest. II was GU the ton of
missionary Ridge. The night was cold and dark
ana the military family was assembled around a
/ blazing hire outside rustic arbOr under which we
slept for We had no tents then except for the sick
ana wounded, Gen. Polk sat for a long time IN
silence, unusually so, for he was generally on such
occasions full OF life and conversation. At length
he rose and passed to the brow Of the hill whence
ne called US to him and reCited the whole affair
,ttdoes not surprise me" he concluded "for
nave expected something of the kind these many
m mo-, But assure you on my honor, that it
IalIs upon me like snow aakes-lke snow fakes"
/ he asked the Hon. then coloneL Andrew Ewing
10 conduct his, defense but the charges were sub.
sequently dismissed u
! The FIVE weeks Immediately preceding his fall
Gen. Polk passed in very active service He had
come up from Mississippi with his army to ioin
zen johnston with whom he was upon the most
| adech0nate relations. We saw him for the last
| time on the day before he was shot He was oc.
| capying log cabin to the right of Lost Mountain
and appeared to be depressed about the situation
/ Inc next morning he set out with party of Off.
| GERS, including Gen. Johnston, Gen. Hardee and
| Gen. Red Jackson, upon tour of inspection, ON
Fine Knob they paused a long while in general
| conversation. The group was noticed from an on
| poslte battery, aud bail was fired lust over it,
The gentlemen at once dispersed Gen. Polk still
| Keeping, with his usual carelessuess the comb of
the hill. second shot was fred and il struck
him upon the right side crushing his arm, and
| passing through and through the body. Col Gale
ms son-in-law, ran to him as he fell but life was
! quite extinct, without sign of pain and only
| slghttremor the neither lip.
| HIS death was received with mourning all over
| the South The army was stricken with grief
NO one had calculated the possibility of his fall
and II his beautiful general order, Gen. Johnston
expressed the universal sentiment The imme-
date funeral ceremonies were conducted bv The
Rev; Dr. Quintard NOW bishop of Tennessee and
BY the Right Rev. Bishop Elliott of Georgia. Coils.
| Gale and 1eatman and Capt. Polk conveyed the
remains to Augusta, where they were laid 10 rest
| General Folks entire bearing as soldier was
worthy OF his character as a churehman. He was
sincerely conscientious in taking up the sword
He believed that the cause Of the South was insr
MS estimation, for its success. He certainty gave
MS all to It, and no one who knew him can doubt
that MS motives were as pure as his conduct
WmCh was exemplary gnostentatiOus and gallant
throughout. He was kind and cousiderate of his
men; he was approachable aud sef-denying in his
own person and he did not know the name of
fear. He possessed that faculty Of inspiring all
VINO came about him with courage attributed to
zen. Zachary Taylor. He was proverbal for get
ting into hot places :" and he seemed to be able
70 pass along line of fire like the children through
Lne merry furnace, untouched. His staff loved him
most t0ndly. He was every inch gentleman
without mannerism or assumption-simple and
innocent, yet digniied and imposing. His aiyen.
tures Tor no man had more of them as frontier
blsaop and revolutionary soldier, would make a
charming volume and his career will be regarded
by future generations as one Of the most interest
ing in the annals of camp or church.