Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Lucius Eugene Polk (July 10, 1833 – December 1, 1892) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. He was a nephew of Leonidas Polk.

Early life

Polk was born in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...

. When he was two years of age, the family moved near Columbia, Tennessee. Polk attended the University of Virginia in 1850-51, before settling in Helena, Arkansas, where he was a planter.

Civil War

In 1861, Polk enlisted in the Yell Rifles as a private under

Patrick Cleburne Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne ( ; March 16, 1828November 30, 1864) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Born in Ireland, Cleburne served in the ...

, who he served under during most of the War. At the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

, then Junior

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Polk was wounded in the face. He was promoted to colonel of the 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment following Shiloh. When Cleburne was promoted to divisional command, Polk was appointed brigadier general to date from December 13, 1862. Polk took part in fighting at Stones River, Chickamauga,

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, and in the Atlanta Campaign. In June 1864, Polk was severely wounded (the fourth time during the war) at the

Battle of Kennesaw Mountain The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennes ...

and was honorably discharged from the Army.

Post-war career

Polk returned to Columbia after his wounding at Kennesaw. He served as a delegate to the 1884

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in Chicago. In 1887 he was elected to the Tennessee Senate.

Death and legacy

Polk received high praise from Confederate soldier Sam Watkins, who wrote of him in his book ''Co. Aytch'': "In every battle he was engaged in, he led his men to victory, or held the enemy at bay, while the surge of battle was against us; he always seemed the successful general, who would snatch victory out of the very jaws of defeat. In every battle, Polk's brigade, of Cleburne's division, almost making the name of Cleburne as the Stonewall of the West. Polk was to Cleburne what Murat or the Old Guard was to

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

." Polk died in Columbia, Tennessee, and is buried at St. John's Church Cemetery at nearby Ashwood. His son Rufus King Polk was a Congressman from Pennsylvania.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Polk, Lucius E. 1833 births 1892 deaths Confederate States Army brigadier generals People of North Carolina in the American Civil War People of Tennessee in the American Civil War People of Arkansas in the American Civil War Lucius E. People from Salisbury, North Carolina People from Helena, Arkansas People from Maury County, Tennessee Tennessee state senators 19th-century American politicians