The National tribune., 1903-08-06
DEATH OF POLK.
A Circumstantial Account Given by an Indt
ana patteryman

| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In reading
your valuable paper, l noticed that some OF
the boys have gotten up quite cOntro
versy about the killing of Gen Polk. Hav
ing been along with the rest of those mer
Oh the firing line in the woods Of Georgia
l give my recollections of those stirring
events, which will perhaps help the mem.
ory of some of the boys whose recollection
is more rusty than my own. to clear away
the mist which the lapse Of, 50 years has
allowed to gather.
The first part of the month of June
1864. was noted for its continued rains
bnt active operations BY Sherman's irwin
chile army went on just the same, which
resulted in Joe Johnst8n Withdrawing his
lines from the natural tiefehces of Dallas
Burnt Hickory. Pickett's Mill. New Hope
Church, and AlatOona to the Marietta
line. resting his right on Kenesaw Noun.
! tain and his left on the isolated knob OF
Pine Mountain. Around This was Sher
mans army in line of battle 10 miles lcng
Mcpherson on the left. Thomas in the cen
| ter and SchOfield on the right
On the morning of the II 14th of June
the rain had somewhat. slackened The
| restless spirit of Gen., Sherman had or
| that day caused him to make an inspection
of the ehemy's position and advanced at
different points so near that elwas in dan
mishers. She object of this close inspec.
tion, as he states it. was to find a weak
place in the enemy's line that he might
assault. As he reached the Fourth Corps
line he had full view of the enemy's out
lying points, where n Confederate battery
of artillery held the post. He noticed
this. and also a group of dsmOunted off.
GERS in front of the Confederate battery.
Their guns were not in action. and some
of the cannOneers had gathered near the
group of officers. who were standing there
surveying our lines of approach. Gen.
Howard, the then Fourth Corps command
er, was with Sherman. The former was
asked to bring battery forward and fire
several vOlleys and disperse the COnfed-
crates. Howard replied that he would
have already attended to this. but for
instructions from Gen. Thomas to use the
artillery very sparingly; but Sherman's re-
quest was supreme, and no compliments
were needed to the artillery Captain to
bring his guns forward.
Capt. SimOnson land better artillerist
never lived brought his 9th Ind. Battery.
composed of mixed Ordnance-howitz-
ers, smOothbOres and rifes-forward,
and fired the three volIeys.
Sherman was at the firing 200 yards
away from the guns, and continued his in
spection tour. He reached Geary's Diyi-
sion of the Twentieth corps and gave
similar orders.
Joseph L. Johnston, the Confederate
commander, had left his HEADQUARTERS at
Marietta with similar object as Sher-
man-viz., TO inspect his lines on the Knob
Of Pine Mountain, then held by Bates's
Confederate Division. Gems. Hardee and
Polk soon joined him, with a group of ar
tilierymen clustered about them
Johnston had noticed the Federal bat
terry making preparations. and advised his
surrounders to scatter for protection. They
did, and he secured place behind para
pet, but Gen. Polk, who was corpulent
in his diSnified way, walked slowly, prob.
ably for effect in the presence of his men,
and was struck by an unexplOded shell di-
agOnally across the breast which of course
resulted in instant DEATH As the first
yOiley of SimOnsOn's Battery had caused
the COnfederates to scatter, it was the
second volley by which Polk was killed.
Some historians claim that Sherman
pointed the gun, and that he knew it was
Polk. Both claims are false, as Sherman
Of 600 to 800 yards no officer could be dis
tinguished from a private soldier.
Sherman reached the Twenty third
Corps line about o'clock Pm. 1 remem-
ber it well. as he came there, and then re-
turned. Close to our battery the 18th
Indl was Maj. Daniels signal station. At
2 o'clock p. m. he told us that by signals
from headquarters he had learned that
Gen. Polk was killed in the forenoon.
When Sherman reached his quarters at
Big Shanty he also learned Of the death of
the Confederate General. 80
That evening the Confederates left on
Pine Mountain was withdrawn to Lost
Mountain and Sherman's inyincible army
promptly followed. 81
Capt. Simonson was killed on the 10th,
two days later, near Lost Mountain, on the
skirmish line, but to him and his boys of
the gallant Hoosier Battery belongs the
honor Of relieving the ,Confederates of
the further service of their brave Lieu
tenant -General.-FRED'K w. FOUT, Pri-
vate, Co. !, 7th Ind; First Lieutenant,
18th Ind. l.. A.; Congressional Medalist,
st. Louis, Mo.