Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-03-04
PARTED BY WAR
Civil Strife Caused Separation
Of Noted churchmen.
hlssisnsrY csntsnnisi Recalls hHse-
ton Bstnsen Bishop hcllFsine ard
Bishop Polk, On oppssing SIDES

5sncP TclkJ o. DPPSsih3 S'SS~.
A striking memory u Civil war his
tory s. awakened 81 connection with
the centenary q the Episcopal Ms
slonary society. falling this year.
which centeFs about Two 6evout bish-
ops u the church Bishop Mcngsiue
u Ohio and Bishop LeoHidas Polk d
Tennessee. lifelong friends. whose
c0nscieDces made them enemies when
the var divided tie country.
Bishop McIlvaine vas the elder u
the two and Vas chaplain at West
Point when young Polk, sei0n 81 the
family which gave q President 70 the
Dnifel sLates. arrived At the academy
bent N q military career. At tn end
- feIr pears Po.a vas graduated into
the army: but 70 marked yss the IN
fuence that NcIivsine had exerted
that . few years later. the chaplain
having 10 the meantime been elevated
70 the episcopacy, POLK resigned from
the army and took clerical orders.
With the passage of the years Il
fell out that McIlvaine and Polk be-
came identified as leaders Ia the move
meut within the church which resulted
in the dispatch 81 missionary bishops
into the unsettled areas 81 the coun-
try. and brought about those trlumphs
which are being acclaimed n0w In the
missionary centennial Polk was made
the first missionary bishop Of Arkan-
sas and later first bishop Of Louisiana.
Then came the war between the
states, which arrayed father against
son and brother against brother; and
these tWO devOut men " the church
did lot escape the perplexfties Of the
situation Bishop McIlyaiHe answered
the rail- 81 Lincoln and went 70 Eng
land with Archbishop Hughes II "
Ward Baecheg and Thurlow Weed
exert tneir influence against British
recognition Of the ConfedeFacy. BIsh-
~ Polk answered the call 81 Jefferson
Davis and became a general IN the
Confederate army.
Thus actively aligned on opposite
sides Ia the conflict, the stage was
set for one u the most dramatic cpl
sOdes Of the war Back IN me West
Point days the two men had entered
into solemn compact that when they
separated, wherever they might be.
they w0uld pray, each for the other
by name every Sunday morning And
now, the one lighting Ia the field for
the South. and the other engaged in
. dellcat, diplomatic mission for the
North, snemies as 10 the political
principle witch vas involved. their
solemn compact "es sacredly carried
out until the end came with the death
Of Bishop Polk at the battle " Pine
mountain.
History tells Of the success " the
mission TO England. ~ which Bishop
Acilvalnc was paft
The kind u soldier Bishop Polk
was is related 10 the general orders
issued by Gen. ]. T. Johnston com.
mandiug the army Of Tennessee on
June a. 1864 the day Polk fell, 1t
read.
Comrades You are chilled to mourn
your first captain, your oldest com
panlon harms. Lieut.. Gen. Polk fen
today al the outpost ~ Ills army-the
army he raised and commanded, IN an
Of whose trials he shared. "a al ~
whose victories he contributed Iu
this distinguished leader we have lost
the most courteous Of gentlemen. tile
most gallant Of soldiers. The Chris
tlan, patriot. soldier has neither lived
nor died IN vain His example l. be-
fore you. his munte rests with son.
There Is d striking picture too. of
this warrior-bishop contained IN let
ter he wrote to his wife less than a
month before He fell.
"YOu will be Interested, he wrote.
IN hearing that the first night Of my
arrival with the army / baptized
Lieut. Gen Hood II was on ihe eve
IT GA expected battle The scene was
touching one he, with one leg
leaning on his crutches. 1eteran IN
the midst Of his and nay officers and /
the officiating minister Ills heart
was fully IN g."
A few nights later be also buptizrd
General Johnston