The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1875-05-28
The Death Of Rebel General LeOnidas
Polk.

Sherman kept pushing his way dowr
toward Atlanta 1t was in this cam
paign that the rebel General Leonidas
Polk, who had been a Bishop of the
Southern Episcopal Church, lost his
life. The story of his death is one of
the dramatic incidents of the war, re.
minding us of the death of the famous
French General Moreau, who was killed
by shot from battery which had been
fired by the special order of Napoleon.
On June IA, General Sherman, in con-
versation with General Howard, OBJ.
served at a distance of 800 yards group
of Confederate officers, evidently watch
ing the Federal troops through glasses.
Sherman called General Howard's at
tention to this group and ordered him to
compel it to keep behind its cover. How
ard answered that his orders from General
Thomas were to spare artillery ammuni-
ton. "That was right according to the
general policy" says Sherman. 81 ex-
planned to him that we must keep up the
morale of the bold offensive; that he
must use his artillery to force the enemy
to remain on the timid defensive, and
ordered him to cause a battery close by
to fire three volleys." One of these vol
leys killed General Polk. General
johnson afterward explained to General
Sherman the exact manner of General
Polk's death. He had ridden to Pine
Mountain, accompanied by Generals
Hardee and Polk. He noticed the prep
aration of Sherman's battery to fire and
at once caused the soldiers to scatter.
"They did so, says Johnston, ''and he
likewise hurried behind the parapet,
from which he had an equally good view
of the position, but General Polk, who
was dignihed and corpulent, walked
slowly, not wishing toappear too hurried
or cautious in the presence of the men,
and was struck across the breast bv an
unexploded shell, which killed him in
stantly." SIT has been charged" says
Sherman, ''that 1 fred the shot which
killed General Polk, and that knew il
was directed against that General. The
fact is, that at that distance we could moi
even toll that the group were officers al
all. I was on horseback a couple Of
hundred yards off before my orders tc
fire were executed, and had no idea that
our shot had taken effect ~ New YorE
Herald.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT By AN EYE WITNESS.
On June 14th, Gen. Howard and stat
left their headquarters for the front,
where Stanley's division of Howardi
i (Fourth) Corps had taken camp anC
were waiting the order TO attack Pin,
Mountain. 1t was Just after sunrise. A
mile or two in rear of the advance How
ard met Sherman, but the conversation
between them did not hear, as the two
Generals converse6 aside. Howard anc
staff joined Stanley and his staff on tn,
road, IN full view of Pine Mountain, ,anG
as he drew rein and exchanged greetings,
Stanley exclaimed
Howard, do you see that group up
there on the crest of the mountain? j
wonder who they are."
We all brought our field-glasses tc
bear upon the peint indicated, and could
plainly see three persons standing il
front of line of breast-works, and 6
larger group in the background. We
could not tell whether they were officers
or privates, but as it was evident that
they were watching our movements,
eSt0AAoJ oubBCAtou tLldl l6W BnOLS Df
fired TO drive them under cover. How
ard, who had suggested that perhaps
Bishop Polk was in the party, made nc
objections, when Stanley turned to Cap.
tain Simonson, his chief of artillery,
with the remark:
'Siminson, can't you unlimber, put a
shot into that group, and give the Bish
op morning salutationl"
"I'll try, was Simonson's laconic re-
ply. And away he galloped TO the rear.
A few minutes later section of the
Fifth Indiana Battery (Simonson's) was
numbered within twenty feet of us.
The Lieutenant sighted the gun and the
shot exploded over to the right of the
group. Here my memory fails me, but
my impression is second shot was sight
ed and fired by the Lieutenant with nC
better effect. Simonson, when the Rur
had been reloaded, dismounted, anC
said, Here, Lieutenant, let me try it.
lie took the range and the messenger o!
death sped on its mission. Our glasses
were bent upon the group, and we OBJ
served q eommOtiO asst shottools eff
feet in the group that scattered TO the
rear. While Simonson was upon hir
kneea sighting the gun for another, diB
charge, Capt. Leonard, chief of Howard'l
Signal Corps, sitting on his horse beside
me, read the COnfederate abianai codt
that our officers had Interpreted at Look