The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-12-09
SKETCH OF GEN. POLK.
Some Points on His Military Career and
Private Life.

Some Points on His Military Career and
Private Life.
Despite the heavy fall of rain last
Friday, large cOncourse OF SORROW
ing friends attended the funeral OF
Gen. Lucius L. Polk, at st. Johns
Chapel, on the Mt. Pleasant pike.
General Polk died in the Polk man
sion house, which was originally
built by Bishop Polk and afterwards
enlarged by A ndrew Polk. 1t is one
of the historic mansions OF Maury
County, aud around it cluster many
of the memories dear to the family
and tn the people of this county.
Gen. Polk moved to this place only
a few weeks before his death from
his old home about mile further
South. The chapel is only few
hundred yards from the residence in
which the remains lay.
The funeral services began at two
O'Clock. The LeOnidas Polk BivOuac,
Gen. Folks companions in arms.
marched in front of the hearse on
foot, bearing the floral offerings,
which were numerous and OF beautl-
full designs. The pail bearers were
his old friends and neighbours.
They came in the following order:
Messrs. Wal er Akin, Webb Nelson,
DIR. Dixon, J. ID. Ester, Maj. Lem
Long, Col. n. Il Wilkes, ID. Nj.
Brown, A. n. Akin. The solemn
funeral service of the Episcopal
Church was read by the Rev. Z. Nj.
Gray, of Franklin, aid after this the
same minister delivered an eioquenG
ana touching tribute to tn memory
of Gen. Polk and dwelt upon the les
SOILS to be drawn from his life The
remains were then cons gntd To
earth in the hal.owed church yard
where Iepose so many Of his family
Rn,i friends.
Not far from where he lies, were
.bur.e ed many of the gahant men who
fell in the fatal battle of Franklin,
including four Conf, dera Generals,
one If them being the dauutiess
.CIeburne WHO had been, through the
whole bloody conflict, the bosom
fri, nd and guiding star of Polk.
Cleburne passed st. Johns on his
way To the battle of franklin, and
was so struck by the quiet beauty and
Fepose of the spot that he asked his
frieLds to lay his body there, il he
should fall in the terrible night INTO
which lie knew he VAS going. lie was
KILLED at the head of his command
the next day, aud his friends. re
,Inemberiug the request, bore his body
back to ST. Johns and laid II reVer-
emily to rest in the green sward mat
he had chosen for his last sleep. The
people of Helena, Arkansas, however,
whose idol he was, had his rRnains
removed To that city u Tow VI al
tier the war aud erected hal
monument to his memory.
Ii WAS to- Phillips County, Arkan-
sas, not far from Helena, that young
Lucius +. Polk went after his grad
uatiun at the University OF NIr-
xinia, to take charge OF one of the
plantations belonging to his father,
DR.. William Polk, who also owned
interests in this county and always
lived here.
Several wears of Gen. Folks young
manhood were spent on the Arkansas
plantation, aud 1T was here that he
first formed his friendship tor Gle
burne. At the iirst signal OF war,
CIeburne and Polk organized com
pany of volunteers At Helena ana
went to the front. Cleburne was
Captain and Polk First Lieutenant
OF This company.
The service for the Confederacy
thus begun ended only with the close
of hostilities. Among all the brave
Ineu that filled the armies of the
Sou h there WAS none more fearless
or more daring than Polk.
The history of his career through
the four years of civil cAUiiict would
be a record of nearly all the imp0r-
tant marches, battles and sieges lii the
w, st. Only u few Of the most con-
epieuous points in his military career
can be given.
At Shiloh, for distinguished gall
Iantry on the field of battle, he was
unanimously elected Colonel OF his
regiment Cleourne at the same
time being promoted 10 the rank OF
BriyAdier General. At the battle Of
Richmond, during Bragg's Invasion
of Kentucky, lie was seriously
wounded in the head, but recovered
and returned in time to resume COM
Inand at the Battle of PeTryville, where
he received another serious wound
in the foot. Recovering from this
wound he vi as promoted 10 the rank
of Brigadier General, which he held
anal the close OF the war, i'll Gle
burne's division.
While serving in Georgia in 1864,
he received another wound from
cannon ball which tore oil the calf OF
his leg aud left him a cripple until
the end of his life.
During the war, just about ten days
Def pIe tue battle OF Chickamauga,
which occurred Sept. 10 and 20 1868,
he married Miss SSllie NJ. Polk,
ttaus hter OF Mr. Rufus Polk. she Is
stiii living. Through every grade OF
lila ililitary life aud in every sphefs
~ his civil career, Gen. Poik com.
knanae0 she love and respect OF alt