Evening journal., 1912-01-12
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Death Of a Famous
Bishop General
By Holland


An important part of the strategy
upon General Sherman relied for the
capture of Atlanta in 1854 involved
the stationing of a strong body of
soldiers at a point near Marietta, Ca
A brigade which was commanded by
Lieutenant-C Colonel William Evans was
stationed at this point with instruc-
tions carefully to watch the enemy
and to prevent any concentration Of
the Confederate troops in the vicinity
Colonel Evans was a Kentuckian, who
had enlisted in a regiment recruited
in the famous pennyroyal district Of
Kentucky. where the feeling of the in
habitants was more strongly in sup
port of the Union than of the Con-
federate cause His service in the field
had been brilliant, and for that rea-
son he was placed in command Of the
brigade stationed near Marietta.
Shortly after Colonel Evans brigade
had thrown up intrenchments, scouts
brought information to Colonel Evans
that the Confederate troops were ap-
preaching point on the opposite side
of the little river upon the northern
bank of which the Union force had es-
tablished themselves. Speedily it was
discovered that the Confederates had
halted in considerable force at this
place and it was presumed that they
would attempt to dislodge the Union
brigade from its intrenchments and
| drive il back
! For the greater part of a day Col
onel Evans, from a place of safety be-
hind his intrenchments, watched the
movement Of the Confederates through
a powerful feldglass. After a while he
observed that an officer, who seemed
/ to be the one IN command Of the Con-
/ federates, was pacing back and forth
along the whole of his line. The off,
GERS manner indicated that he might
! be planning some strategy which in
volved attack upon the enemy. In fact,
already shelling-not regular but in
termittent-was in progress between
the two armies.
Colonel Evans noted the time Occu-
pied by the Confederate officer as he
passed from one end of his line to the
/ other and discovered that between
!
most directly opposite the center OF
the Union forces the Confederate Of
icer took about five minutes TO walk
I Summoning the most expert marks
man of the battery which accompanied
the brigade, Colonel Evans said to
him.
DO you see that Confederate officer
yonder who Is slowly pacing back and
forth?"
The artilleryman replied that he
saw the man and looked inquiringly
at his commander
In just about five minutes said
| Colonel Evans, that officer will be al
| most directly in line with your bat
terry. l wish you would throw she'll
as accurately as possible at him
The artilleryman went back to his
gun, waited about five minutes, took
careful aim and then, at the exact mo-
ment, discharged the gun. The mis-
sile landed at the feet of the pacing
Confederate officer, exploded, and Col
onel Evans, through his fieldglass, saw
the officer fall.
A moment or two later soldiers came
with a strotcher and bore the officer
away. Immediately there followed
great excitement in the Confederate
camp, and il was made evident that
whatever plan of attack had been
made by the Confederates it was for
the time being abandoned.
That evening the pickets Of the two
armies faced each other on the banks
of the little river that separated their
commands AS was so often the case
in war days, these pickets established
a sort of friendly relation, tacitly
agreeing not to fire on each other
and indulging in general conversation.
Said one of the Confederate plckets 20
his friend the enemy on the north
side of the river:
do you know who the officer was
who was killed by one Of your shells
this morning.
The Union picket confessed his ig-
norance.
well" replied the Confederate, "he
was our commander, General Leonidas
Polk He was a bishop in Louisiana be-
fore the war"
At the first opportunity the picket
sent word to Colonel Evans that the
Confederate officer who had been
killed at his direction was none other
than the famous general who was also
a bishop of the Protestant Episcopal
Church. Leonidas Polk.
My authority for this hitherto unre-
ported incident is Mr. William M
Evans, son of Colonel Evans, who Is
now resident Of New York city.
Copyright. 1912, by e. J. Edwards. All
rights reserved
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tell OF
"a Martyr to His Sense Of Duty"