LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 December Civil War Auction #674  / 

72126

CSA GENERAL LEONIDAS POLK DOCUMENT SIGNED

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:750.00 USD Estimated At:1,500.00 - 2,000.00 USD
CSA GENERAL LEONIDAS POLK DOCUMENT SIGNED
<B>CONFEDERATE GENERAL LEONIDAS POLK DOCUMENT SIGNED, </B></I><B><I>CARTE DE VISITE.</B></I></B></I> and a three page power of attorney, 7.75" x 12.5", September 15, 1843; and, a CDV of Polk in uniform, 2 3/8" x 4", published by E & H. T. Anthony of New York from a Brady negative. Polk (1806-1864) was a Confederate general who was once a planter in Maury County, Tennessee, and a third cousin of President James K. Polk. He also served as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and was for that reason sometimes known as "The Fighting Bishop". He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. During his senior year, he joined the Episcopal Church. After graduating in 1827, he resigned his commission. He was ordained as a deacon in 1830. He was appointed Missionary Bishop of the Southwest in 1838 and was elected Bishop of Louisiana in 1841. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Polk pulled the Louisiana Convention out of the Episcopal Church of the United States. His friend and former roommate at West Point, Jefferson Davis, prevailed upon Polk to accept a commission in the Confederate States Army. Polk agreed and was commissioned major general commanding Department No. 2 (roughly, the area between the Mississippi River and the Tennessee River) in 1861. He committed one of the great blunders of the Civil War by dispatching troops to occupy Columbus, Kentucky, in September 1861; the Commonwealth of Kentucky had declared its neutrality, but Polk's action ended that neutrality and the state quickly fell under Union control. He organized the Army of Mississippi and a part of the Army of Tennessee, in which he later served as lieutenant general. Polk designed his own distinctive battle flag for his brigades; a blue field with a red St. George's cross, emblazoned with eleven stars, representing each of the Confederate states. Polk led a corps during the Battle of Shiloh. Polk was scouting enemy positions with his staff when he was disemboweled by a Federal artillery shell at Pine Mountain near Marietta, Georgia, on June 14, 1864. <BR><B><BR>Condition:</B></I> The power of attorney has some toning and staining. There is minor tearing along folds with tape repair (not on the page with the signature). The CDV has some surface wear else fine. <BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Books & Catalogs (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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