The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-10-13
STATEMENT FROM COL. POLK.
LFrom Daily State ChronfcIe.l

wanting 1T to appear tomorrow, may l
ask that you DO me the kindness to
give it a place in the columns of the
Daily Chronicle and greatly oblige
yours, etc. l.. L. POLK.
STATEMENT FROM L. L. POLK.
RALEIGH, n. c., Oct. 5.
Editor NelCS and Observer:
1t has been charged through the pub
lie prints that | skulked the battle of
Winchester, Va, on the 10Th of Sept,
1864, and as your paper has been
prominent in giving willing aid to this
charge, [ ask that you publish the fol-
lowing:
H CHARGE.
Letters have been written from Raj
eigh to certain papers and have been
reproduced in other papers, which are
understood to have been written by one
Max German, in which appears inter
views with J. 2. DevereuX, charging
that | was hidden behind a rock fence
on the morning of the 10Th of Septem-
Der at Winchester, when my Regiment
had gone on and was engaged In battle,
that Brigadier- General Grimes and
himself saw me there and had certain
conversation with me-that [ claimed
to have a chill-that General Grimes
called special attention of DevereuX
to the matter and said with an
oath that he intened to court
martial me-that for some reason l
was not cOurt-martialed but was al
lowed to resign-that Lieutenant Eller-
bee, also of our regiment, was Skulking
at the same time and would have been
court martialed but for his death,
caused by a ball which struck him
while far in rear of the line.
WHAT IS THE TRUTH?
I shall not ask you or your readers
to believe anything Imay have to say
about the matter, except this: that
Lieutenant Ellerbee at HGt time, had
been buried nearly tUO months, having
been fatally and horribly wounded in
the fight and IN line of battle at Snick-
er's Ferry, Va, on he 18th Of July,
and died eleven days thereafter.
Now as to myself, | have in my pos
session the official record of a court
martial, which pTOUeS on the SlCOrn
testimony of Brigadier- General Grimes
himself and fourteen other witnesses
that the above charge contains no more
of truth in regard to myself than the
one made against Lieutenant Ellerbee.
The official record shows that the
charges were: "MisbehaviOur in the
presence of the enemy" and absence
without leave"
Gen. Grimes makes no allusiOn what
ever, either in the charges OF specifica-
tiOnS or in his sworn testimony to any
lack of duty on my part during the
morning, nor did he summon DevereuX
as a witness.
You ask in a recent issue of your
paper, if | cal prove by my Colonel
that l was hOnOrably acquitted? l can
not, because my Colonel was wounded
and captured at Gettysburg and had
not been released from prison. You
ask if | al prove it by the record? Let
the record answer.
The record shows that up to the 18th
of September, | was acting Adjutant
of my regiment, hat on hat day | re
ceived a certificate from the sheriff of
my county showing that | had been
elected a member of the North Caro-
lima Legislature. That on that day |
turned over my horse, books, etc, to
the proper authorities, preparatory for
leaving for Raleigh on the next day,
the 10Th. That the commanding officer
of my regiment had released me from
duty, and that on the morning of the
10Th | had prepared to start home,
having previously filed proper applica
ton for my release from duty; that
finding a battle was imminent, | went
to the commandment Of the regiment
and asked his opinion as to whether l
ought to go into the battle; that he
said l was under no obligation what
I'VE to go, but suggested that | talk to
Gen. Grimes about it. After the line
of battle was formed | approached
Gen. Grimes and asked his advice as a
friend. He advised me to go in, say
ing that there might be talk about it if
I did not. That | told him [ would go,
that l took charge of Company H, it
having no officers with 1t. That we
advanced and were halted under a
heavy fire of skirmishers in Our front;
that the order to forward was repeated
but for some reason the regiment did
not advance until | went in front and
called to the color sergeant to follow
me; that at that time, in addition to
the skirmiSh line, the enemy had their
lines of battle in our front in open
ground and a battle infilading us; that
l led the charge through open ground
for two or three hours under a heavy
and destructive ire; that L was the
only officer seen in front during the
charge, and that l remained in front
until the line was ordered to halt that
when ordered to fall back by General
Grimes [ 6 assisted him in rallying the
regiment on a line indicated by him,
until Capt. Hall, the commandant of
the regiment, who was my former Cap
tain, was brought to me near General
(NTIn0nC and hnInO &c no +hO110I4
fatally wounded, implored me to take
business there, and appealing to me as
a brother Mason. took him from the
field and to the hospital. Soon after
reaching the hospital the report came
that our line had been broken, and
that the wounded should get out if os-
sibIe; that 1 caught up my pistol and
$500 I'D mont ont and nnnt cornn f.