Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-03-07
HOW POLK DIED.
TRUE STORY OF HIS KILLING
NOW FIRST MADE PUBLIC.
Thrilling Narrative From the Pen
of an officer Who Witnessed the
Firing of the Fatal Shell
at Pine Mountain.


The Brooklyn Citizen says that Captain
J. f. P. Doyle, who died some time ago,
left among his unpublished manuscripts
the following article, which is of great
historic value, as it is the first authentic
account made public of Bishop Folks
death.
The writer at various times has read
many alleged accurate narratives of the
manner in which Lieutenant-G General and
Bishop Polk met his death on Pine
Mountain, Georgia, June IS, 1864, but
not one has at all approached the true
facts. Even DR.. Losing, in his "Civil
War in America, Volume III, page 376,
in a footnote. says that POLK, Johnston
and Hardee were upon the summit OF
Pine Mountain when the cannonade com
menced accommodating. Seeing the
group, General Thomas, it is said, Or
dered q shot to be fred at them from
Knapp's battery. This caused them to
retreat to u place OF safety Polk soon
reappeared, when another she'll was fired
which exploded near him and killed him
instantly. The two shells were fired by
= Young man named William Atwell, of
Allegheny City. Penn, attached to
knapp's battery
| have generally found DR.. Lossing's
came under my personal observations
correct, but in this case he has most GER
tainly been imposed upon. I propose
now to tell the incident just as it DC
cured, and l believe its accuracy will
not be questioned by General 0. 0.
Howard or any other witness living who
that morning formed a group.of which I
was one. | was at that time attached to
the headquarters of General Howard,
then commanding the Fourth Corps. On
the night Of the 14th the corps
bivouacked about two miles north of
this mountain, with General Stanley's
division under order to lead the advances
on the morrow. About sunrise General
Howard with his staff rode to the front.
We found that Stanley had broken
camp, and his command were awaiting
on the road with stacked arms for or
ders to advance. When we Joined Gen
eral Stanley and his staff at the extreme
front, after the usual exchange of morn.
ing salutations between the two Gen.
erals, Stanley remarked to General How
ard:
General, direct your glass to that
Notwithstanding with his hand to
its summit-sand see if you can make
out that group. | think there is a woman
in the party
We all whipped out our glasses in a
moment and looked at the point indi-
Gated. Sure enough there wasa group of
about twenty in full view. In the fore were
three persons standing up, the one in the
, center being dressed in what appeared to
be a long dressing gown, and behind a
number OF men apparently seated. After
q careful survey through his glass Gen
eral Howard said: sIt does look like q
woman, General. Think probably it is
Bishop Polk. He is in the habit of wear
ing a morning gown sometimes. They
are evidently there to rcconnoiter."
"Wcll, suppose We give the Bishop a
shot or two before we advance" said
General Dave Stanley, .'just to disturb
his morning mcditations.'
General Howard i~nterposed no oblec-
tiono. Stanley then turned to Captain
Sampson, his chief of artillery, and re-
marked, sampson, suppose you order
up a section, unlim5es and stir up the
Bishop
Away Q Sampson. AT the time ]
sat on my horse between General How
ard and Captain Leonard, his chief signal
officer, on the right of our party. The
Captain, Captain Howgate, Captain Tay-
lor' Captain Messenger and other sigma.
oihcers during the winter previous, while
we lay in garrison At Chattanooga, hac
interpreted the wllolc signal cipher code
of the ConfederateS, and during the
entire Atlanta campaign eli dispatches
sigaaled over the mountains were aImos,
instantly translated by the Union sigma
corps. Presently Sampson arrived with
field pieces Of some Indiana battery,
believe, under a Lieutenant. One CUR
WAS plagpI IN poSlf;nu m tha rftra@ ~