Colonel William Polk (9 July 1758 – 14 January 1834) was a
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
banker, educational administrator, political leader, renowned
Continental
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* ''Continental'' (al ...
officer in the
War for American Independence, and survivor of the 1777/1778 encampment at
Valley Forge
Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...
.
Early life and background
William Polk was born in
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wak ...
, on July 9, 1758, the eldest child of
Thomas Polk
Thomas Polk (c. 1732–January 25, 1794) was a planter, military officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1781, and a politician who served in the North Carolina House of Commons, North Carolina Provinci ...
and his wife Sussana Spratt. From the earliest days of rebellion against British authority, Mecklenburg had been a hotbed of revolutionary fervor, and the Polk family was very active in this cause. William's father was commander of the local militia, a rumored key player in adoption of the
Mecklenburg Resolves
The Mecklenburg Resolves, or Charlotte Town Resolves, were a list of statements adopted at Charlotte, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina on May 31, 1775; drafted in the month following the fighting at Lexington and Concord. Similar lists of r ...
of May 31, 1775, and later colonel of the 4th North Carolina Regiment, Continental Line.
Following their father's example, three of Thomas Polk's sons served as officers in the war against the British. The younger Thomas was killed in action serving alongside his brother William at the
Battle of Eutaw Springs
The Battle of Eutaw Springs was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, and was the last major engagement of the war in the Carolinas. Both sides claimed victory.
Background
In early 1781, Major General Nathanael Greene, commander of the ...
.
American Revolutionary War
* At the onset of military action between the American colonies and Great Britain, William Polk left Queens College (an unrelated precursor of the modern Queens University) to accept a commission as second lieutenant in his uncle Ezekiel Polk's company of the Third South Carolina Regiment, commanded by Col. William Thomson. In a campaign to subdue Tory forces in South Carolina, he was severely wounded in the left shoulder at Great Cane Brake on 23 December 1775. Borne on a litter 120 miles to his father's home in North Carolina, he spent the following nine months recuperating from the dangerously infected wound. His reportedly was the first American blood shed south of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
*1776, November 26: The Provincial Congress of North Carolina at
Halifax elected young Polk major of the
9th North Carolina Regiment
The 9th North Carolina Regiment was raised, on 16 September 1776, at Halifax, North Carolina for service with the Continental Army. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Brandywine and Battle of Germantown. The regiment was disbanded, on 1 June ...
, North Carolina Continental Line.
When the North Carolina regiments were ordered north, the Ninth had only about half its complement of men, and its colonel and lieutenant colonel remained in North Carolina to superintend further recruiting. Polk, a combat veteran of imposing stature—he stood six feet, four —was given command and marched the regiment to Maryland for inoculation against smallpox, then to Trenton, N.J., where it joined the main body of General Washington's army.
["Autobiography".]
*1777, September 11: Polk and his regiment saw action at the
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Ame ...
.
*1777, October 4: At the
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Con ...
Polk was shot in the mouth while in the act of giving a command. The musket ball ranged along the upper jaw, knocking out four teeth and shattering the jawbone.
*1777/1778, winter: Recuperating from this wound, Polk remained with his regiment during the difficult encampment at
Valley Forge
Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...
.
*1778, March: Their ranks severely depleted by death and the expiration of enlistments, North Carolina's ten regiments were reduced to four. Superfluous officers, including Polk, were removed by lot from active service. Polk returned to North Carolina, where he engaged in recruiting duty.
*1778, fall – 1780, April: Polk continued in his recruiting duties and participated in skirmishes against the Tories.
*1780, May: After the
fall of Charleston, the Southern Department of the army was reorganized under
General Horatio Gates. Polk was assigned as an aide to
Major General Richard Caswell at the
Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780), also known as the Battle of Camden Court House, was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War. On August 16, 1780, British forces under Lieutenant General ...
,
the former governor of North Carolina.
*1780: Polk saw action at the disastrous
Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780), also known as the Battle of Camden Court House, was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War. On August 16, 1780, British forces under Lieutenant General ...
. When the Continentals began to give ground, Polk joined with the North Carolina militia and fought with them. Once
De Kalb fell and the rout of Continentals was complete, Polk was able to lead a large number of troops in a successful retreat to North Carolina. That fall he acquired a position under
General William Davidson.
*1781, January: General Davidson's militia, including Polk, marched to the aid of
Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan (1735–1736July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...
, who after his success at
Cowpens Cowpens may refer to:
* Battle of Cowpens, a battle in the American Revolution
* Cowpens National Battlefield, a unit of the National Park Service that protects the battlefield.
* Cowpens, South Carolina
* USS Cowpens (CG-63), USS ''Cowpens'' (CG-63 ...
was on the run from the main body of
Cornwallis's army.
*1781, February - April: When Cornwallis attempted to cross the
Catawba Catawba may refer to:
*Catawba people, a Native American tribe in the Carolinas
*Catawba language, a language in the Catawban languages family
*Catawban languages
Botany
* Catalpa, a genus of trees, based on the name used by the Catawba and other ...
at
Cowan's Ford, he was attacked by Davidson's militia. Polk was riding alongside Davidson when the general was shot from his horse and killed instantly. Word of Davidson's death spread quickly, and the demoralized militia broke in the face of an enemy bayonet charge. Polk rallied the few men he could and led them to
Salem
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Canada
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* Bruce County
** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie
** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce
* Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
, reporting for service to General Andrew Pickens, with whom he remained until, following the
Battle of Guilford Court House
The Battle of Guilford Court House was on March 15, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, at a site that is now in Greensboro, the seat of Guilford County, North Carolina. A 2,100-man British force under the command of Lieutenant General ...
, Pickens left the army of General Nathanael Greene. Soon thereafter Polk was commissioned lieutenant colonel by Governor John Rutledge of South Carolina and took command of the 4th and then the 3rd regiments of that state, mustering his regiment under the command of General Thomas Sumter. Less than a month after being commissioned, Polk, together with troops under
Colonel Wade Hampton, grandfather of the Confederate general of that
name
A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A personal ...
, led his regiment on a forced march of sixty miles in seventeen hours, surprising the British at Friday's Ferry on the
Congaree and burning the blockhouse near
Fort Granby, South Carolina
Granby was the first European settlement in the area of present-day Columbia in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Settlement began around 1718 with the establishment of a trading post by the British on the Congaree River. Many small farms were se ...
.
[''"Autobiography"'', p. 407.]
*1781, May 11–15: Polk joined General Greene at Fort Motte, which capitulated on the second day of a siege, and then marched under General Sumter's command to
Orangeburg, where the British garrison quickly surrendered.
*1781, July. Polk's regiment invested the British garrison around Watboo Church, burning bridges and causeways, then retired to await the arrival of Sumter's artillery. In the morning the British cavalry made "a furious charge," but were thrown back. That night the British abandoned their position, burned the church and other buildings and retreated to Quinby Bridge, where they were saved from certain defeat by Sumter's failure to employ his artillery.
*1781, September 8: Polk's regiment covered the left wing of the American army under General Nathanael Greene at the Battle of
Eutaw Springs. While charging the enemy, Polk's horse was shot dead and fell on top of him, pinning him to the ground. A British soldier was in the act of plunging a bayonet into Polk when he was cut down by a sergeant in Polk's regiment. (Polk's brother Lieutenant Thomas Polk was killed during the battle.) With regard to Colonel Polk's performance that day, Greene wrote in his official report:
Lieutenant-Colonels Polk and Middleton were no less conspicuous for their good conduct than their intrepidity, and the troops under their command gave a specimen of what may be expected from men naturally brave when improved by proper discipline.
*Eutaw Springs was the last major battle in the South prior to Yorktown and was Polk's final military engagement.
[Mark M. Boatner, III, ''Encyclopedia of the American Revolution,'' Stackpole Books, 1994.] With the end of hostilities, Polk returned to North Carolina, a veteran of some of the Revolution's fiercest battles and a survivor of the harshest winter encampment in the history of the United States military. He was twenty-two years old.
Post-war years
Politician and public servant
In 1783 the
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...
appointed Polk as Surveyor General of the
Middle District, now a part of Tennessee. In this capacity Polk also acquired large tracts of land in the area. Twice he was elected to the
House of Commons before returning in 1786 to his native Mecklenburg County.
He was re-elected to the House of Commons in 1787, served a one-year term and was re-elected in 1790.
He was a candidate for Speaker of the House in 1791, but was defeated by
Stephen Cabarrus.
That March President
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
appointed him as Supervisor of Internal Revenue for the District of North Carolina, a position he held for seventeen years, or until the Internal Revenue Laws were repealed.
Polk was among the Continental Army officers who founded the North Carolina
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...
on October 23, 1783.
After the death of his first wife in 1799, Polk moved to property on Blount Street in
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
.
In December of that year he was elected Grand Master of
Masons
Mason may refer to:
Occupations
* Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces
* Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutt ...
of North Carolina and served in that office until December 1802.
Federalists
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of de ...
in the state legislature nominated him for governor in 1802, but by a two-to-one margin he lost to
John Baptista Ashe John Ashe may refer to:
* John Ashe (minister) (1671–1735), English dissenting minister
*John Ashe (of Freshford) (1597–1658), MP for Westbury
* John Ashe (priest) (born 1953), Church of England priest and Archdeacon of Lynn
* John Ashe (genera ...
, a fellow officer in the Revolution.
Ashe died before taking office.
Polk was appointed as the first president of the
State Bank of North Carolina
The State Bank of North Carolina is the oldest surviving commercial building in Raleigh, North Carolina and was the first state-sponsored banking institution constructed in North Carolina. The bank was incorporated in 1810, but during the War of 1 ...
in 1811 and held that office for eight years.
In March 1812, as war with Britain seemed imminent,
President Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...
offered Polk a commission as
brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
in the
U.S. Army. A Federalist and opponent of the war, he declined the offer.
Not until August 1814, when the
British sacked Washington, did he change his opposition to the war. Writing his brother-in-law
William Hawkins, governor of North Carolina, he offered his services to the state in whatever capacity the governor saw fit. Inasmuch as North Carolina was not seriously threatened, he was not called upon.
In June 1818 Polk became one of the first vice presidents of Raleigh Auxiliary of the
American Colonization Society,
which sought to resettle free American blacks in a colony in West Africa. This colony developed as
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
. Polk remained active in the group for many years.
The Federalists nominated him as candidate for governor in 1814, and again he was defeated.
Canova's Washington
![George Washington by Antonio Canova - DSC05895](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/George_Washington_by_Antonio_Canova_-_DSC05895.jpg)
After the War of 1812, the North Carolina legislature commissioned the celebrated sculptor
Antonio Canova
Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the cl ...
of
Venice, Italy
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...
, to produce a
statue of George Washington for the
State House
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
. On Christmas Eve 1821 it arrived in Raleigh and was met with great fanfare, including a 24-gun salute, marching bands, and a parade of both houses of the legislature and the governor. In last position, just ahead of the statue, were veterans of the Revolution, with Polk bearing the
Stars and Stripes. Polk also gave a speech that day.
The old State House building burned in June 1831 and the statue was destroyed.
An accurate copy of the statue was produced in Italy from preserved molds in the 21st century and installed in the rotunda of the new
Capitol building.
Lafayette's visit to Raleigh
Lafayette visited Raleigh in March 1825 as part of his
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
of the United States.
Colonel Polk was appointed to give an address on the occasion.
After his speech, Polk and Lafayette embraced and wept in memory of what they had shared during the Revolution.
Lafayette attended various balls, dinners, and other events, including breakfast at Colonel Polk's home on the morning of March 3.
Service to education
Polk was appointed as a trustee of the
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
in 1790 and served until his death, including a term as president of the trustees from 1802-1805.
Among other educational efforts, he founded a school for sixteen pupils in Raleigh in 1827 and assisted his wife Sarah in founding a school for poor children in 1822.
Marriages and family
In October 1789 Polk married Grizelda Gilchrist,
a granddaughter of a former colonial attorney general of North Carolina.
She was born in
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and as such has no county. As of the 2020 census, the population was 94,324. It is the 9th most populous city in Virginia and the largest city in Virginia by boundary land area as ...
, on October 24, 1768.
The couple had two children, Thomas Gilchrist Polk, born February 22, 1791, and William Julius Polk, born March 21, 1793.
Grizelda Polk died in 1799.
On New Year's Day 1801, Polk married Sarah Hawkins.
Her brother
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
later was elected governor of North Carolina.
Sarah bore thirteen children, two of whom died in infancy.
Notable relations
*
Thomas Polk
Thomas Polk (c. 1732–January 25, 1794) was a planter, military officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1781, and a politician who served in the North Carolina House of Commons, North Carolina Provinci ...
, William's father. Continental Army General and member of the
Congress of the Confederation
The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Mar ...
. Considered the "Father of Charlotte (North Carolina)" by some.
*
Ezekiel Polk
Ezekiel Polk (December 7, 1747 – August 31, 1824) was Americans, American soldier, settler, pioneer and the paternal grandfather of President of the United States, President James K. Polk, James Knox Polk.
Early life
Ezekiel Polk was the n ...
, his paternal uncle and first commanding officer during the Revolution.
*
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
,
11th President of the United States; William's first cousin, once removed, being the grandson of his father's brother
Ezekiel
Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible.
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is acknow ...
.
*
Leonidas Polk, William's second son by his wife Sarah, was known as "The Fighting Bishop." An Episcopal bishop, he was commissioned as a Confederate general during the Civil War. (Killed in action at Pine Mountain, Tennessee.)
He was instrumental in establishing the
University of the South in
Sewanee, Tennessee.
Fort Polk is named in his honor.
*
Leonidas Lafayette Polk, great-great-grandson of William Polk, a Confederate colonel and first
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture
The Commissioner of Agriculture is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The commissioner is a constitutional officer who serves as the head of the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is res ...
.
*
William Polk Hardeman
William Polk Hardeman (November 4, 1816 – April 8, 1898) was a Confederate States Army brigadier general during the American Civil War. He had fought in the Texas War of Independence in 1836. He was a member of the Texas Rangers and fought in ...
Confederate Army General
*
George Polk Journalist murdered in 1948.
Death
Polk died on January 14, 1834, at his home in Raleigh.
His obituary in the January 21, 1834, issue of the ''Raleigh Register'' contained the following:
Legacy
*The town of
Polkville, North Carolina
Polkville is a small city in Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 545 at the 2010 census.
History
The John Lattimore House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Geography
Polkville is loc ...
is named for him.
*
Polk County was named for him as he had property there.
*Camp Polk, a World War I U.S. Army tank base in Raleigh, was named for him.
*The original Polk Prison was built in 1920 on the grounds of Camp Polk. The prison facility is named for Colonel William Polk.
The North Carolina Museum of Art and its Museum Park now occupy the original site on Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh.
*Polk Correctional Institution (originally Polk Youth Institution), opened in 1997 near
Butner, North Carolina, is a North Carolina maximum-security prison for men aged 19–25.
David Swain, the governor of North Carolina at the time of Polk's death, said:
Notes
References
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* (Microfilm of original newspaper provided by The Olivia Raney Local History Library, Wake County Public Libraries, Raleigh North Carolina.)
*
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External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polk, William
1758 births
1834 deaths
Continental Army officers from North Carolina
People from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
Burials at City Cemetery (Raleigh, North Carolina)
North Carolina Federalists