Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-02
liant, Lieut.. Gen. Leonidas Polk. Episco-

liant. Lieut.. Gen. LeOn1das POLK, Eplsco-
pal bishop Of the diocese of Louisiana.
who command a corps in the Confed
crate army and fell in battle, lies buried.
with his beloved wife at his side. in
vault under the altar of the old church
shows visitors the tomb. There is a trap
door In the floor behind the railing which
can be lifted with handle. and it is
inscribed with the following lines:
This wood was sent from Louisiana
by the children OF
Bishop Polk
That their Father might rest
Under the Expresses Of his
Old Home
1 do not understand why Bishop Folks
body should have been taken to Augusta,
although 1t lies in very appropriate
place.
Upon the wall of St Paul's. within the
chancel. is an artistic tablet to the men,
DRY of Gen. Polk inscribed as follows:
In Memory
Rt. Rev. Ieonidas Polk. DID.
Missionary Bishop Of the Southwest.
First Bishop OF Louisiana and
Lieutenant General in the Army OF
The Confederate States.
Born April 10. 1905.
Fell at Pine Mountain. Georgia.
June IA. 1864.
Beloved. my Witness is in Heaven
And my Record is on High
Bishop Polk was a native Of Raleigh.
was educated in the university of that
state and at the Military Academy at
West Point. where he graduated in 1877
tillery. Shortly after he was persuaded
by Bishop McIlvaine of Ohio. who had
been chaplain at the academy, to resign
from the army and study theology. His
first parish was In Richmond From there
he went to Columbia. Tenn. and In 1S:S
was consecrated missionary bishop of the
southwest. His diocese included Missis
sippi, Alabama. Louisiana. Arkansas,
Texas and Indian Territory. He made
his headquarters at Shreveport and for
years was constantly in the saddle and
in canoes visiting the frontier settle
ments.
Folks Military Career.
At the outbreak of the war his early
training as a soldier naturally prompted
him to offer his services to the south.
and he was one of the first major gen.
erals commissioned in the Confederate
army He was promoted to lieutenant
general in 1852. and took d very active
part in the campaigns in the Mississippi
valley. While accommodating near Mari
eta, Ca, in 1884 he was killed by can
non ball.
Gen Polk left eight children One of
his sons. DR.. w. NJ. Polk of New York
city. had a brilliant military record as a
young man. and at the close OF the war
went to New York and studied medicine.
For many years he was professor of OBJ
stetrics in the university there, and was
in charge of the Womans ward In Belize
vue Hospital.
One of Bishop Polk's daughters mar
ried Dr. Joseph JonesNof Savannah.
The immediate country around Augusta
furnished large number of prominent
Hampton. Gen. M. C. Butler. Gen. Mart
Gary and Gen. n. G. Evans came from
the South Carolina side Of the river.
Gen Evans. William II. r. Walker. Gen.
A. r. Wright. Gen. John King Jackson.
Gen Lafayette McLaws. Gen. w. T.
Boggs, Gen. William Smith. Gen. Alfred
Cumming and Gen. David f. Twiggs
came from the immediate vicinity: and
Gen. James Longstreet from a neghbor-
ing town. Many interesting anecdotes
are told of some of these old soldiers.
but they are all gone now except Gen.
NJ c. Butler. Gen. Boggs and Gen. Cum
ming.