Talk:Leonidas Polk

Name
I have reverted the title of the article from "Leonidas Lafayette Polk" back to "Leonidas Polk."

There was a Leonidas Lafayette Polk (1837-1892), and like the subject of this article, he was a North Carolinian and served in the War Between the States. But Leonidas Lafayette Polk survived the war, was in the North Carolina legislature, served as a newspaper editor, and outlived Bishop Polk by 27 years.

He's perhaps worthy of his own entry, but he's someone else altogether. If you do an article, we'll need a disambiguation page.

death and burial
I have reverted an uncited edit that said he was buried "in a crypt underneath the present-day altar. The original grave marker in the crypt, which can be visited, reads "He tried to do his duty."" The website of the church, http://www.saintpauls.org/history/history04.shtml, says "his remains are interred beneath the chancel window." Please provide a citation or whatever text you wish to add. Hal Jespersen (talk) 23:06, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Foote's book, p.356 states that Polk was killed by Capt. Hubert Dilger, of the 1st Ohio Light Artillery. I do not know about the other source cited. I simply removed some of the detail, about which Union artillery unit killed him.

Photographs of Polk
As far as I can tell, we only have the two pictures of Polk, though there are apparently others of him in CSA uniform (see this and this). These highlight an issue with the image we do have of him in uniform: it appears to be a mashup of his episcopal portrait and a (dubious) uniform, and almost certainly does not provide and accurate image of his appearance during the war. OTOH the wartime pictures are rather poor.

I would prefer to depict him in the various battle articles (e.g. Battle of Perryville) in uniform rather than in clericals, and I made this change for a couple already. But I would like to have an accurate picture. Any comments? Mangoe (talk) 19:21, 11 August 2011 (UTC)


 * It seems likely to me that the photograph in uniform is a composite; the uniform seems to be drawn in, rather than photographed. This is only my personal opinion, however, not the judgment of a secondary source. In Kenneth Noe's book about Perryville, he cites this photograph as "courtesy Library of Congress, LC-38171-1320," but I cannot find that version online at the Library of Congress website. The Wikipedia version of this photograph was derived from the Duke University website and I question our ability to use it, based on the copyright notice listed there. I will let the copyright lawyers worry about that, but in the meantime the clerical garb works well enough for me. Hal Jespersen (talk) 16:16, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

relationship to President Polk
The lead says Leonidas was a second cousin of James Polk, while the Legacy section says he was a first cousin twice removed. These are not equivalent terms, so can anyone provide clarity? Esrever (klaT) 19:14, 16 August 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110727232134/http://www.saintpauls.org/cbf/polkFuneral.php to http://www.saintpauls.org/cbf/polkFuneral.php

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Replacing Polk's image
Hi folks, just to let you know I went ahead and changed the main image to a real photograph of him, instead of the sketching for a more realistic portrayal of what he looked like. IIRC, Wikipedia does prefer images over sketchings/paintings. Also, this is the latest image we have of him before he was killed. Does anyone have any objections? I don't see why, but that's why I'm starting this section. 154thTN Pvt. Seth Adam (talk) 01:32, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Deleted repeated identical image. --Taterian (talk) 01:11, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

Photograph again
I've found this and this. If this pic is not Polk, Who is? Cratón (talk) 18:14, 26 September 2019 (UTC)

== "Although his [Polk's] record as a field commander was poor..." I take issue with this statement. I don't know anything of Polk when he was with Bragg but his performance as commander of the Confederate army at the Battle of Belmont was stellar as well as his commanding the Third Corps (the Army of Mississippi) of Gen. Johnston's Army of Tennessee. The comment about poor performance during the Meridian Campaign is also incorrect. Although his army should have confronted Sherman at Morton, Miss. he left that decision to the commanders there. Sherman's Meridian Campaign was not the success most think since his primary goal was either Selma or Mobile but he was stalled at Meridian because his left wing of cavalry was routed and sent back to Memphis by Forrest and his cavalrymen. Gen. Sherman waited in Meridian a few weeks but finally returned to Vicksburg having heard not one word as to what happened to his entire left wing of cavalry. Also naming a Union battery that fired upon Polk and suggesting that battery killed him should not be elaborated upon since there are several batteries that claimed they were the ones who killed Bishop Gen. Polk, the 5th Indiana Battery being one of several. Rjr1960 (talk) 23:29, 27 November 2019 (UTC)