Misplaced Pages

#800199

53-418: Richard McLemore, one of the first settlers of Meridian, deeded the land on which Merrehope now stands to his daughter, Juriah Jackson, in 1858. Juriah and her husband, W. H. Jackson, constructed a small building which was later remodelled extensively into its present state. The house changed hands in 1863 to a General Joseph E. Johnson, who made some architectural alterations to the original building. The building

106-470: A Mississippi Landmark in 1995. After the restoration of the home, many people claimed to have seen ghosts in the building. John Gary, one of the owners of the house who added most of the rooms present today, had a daughter named Eugenia. Eugenia died of underage consumption as a teenager, never having lived in the building itself. John Gary, who lived in the house for many years, had his funeral service there. Many people have claimed to see Eugenia wandering

159-516: A New World equivalent to Oxford and Cambridge , both in England. (In his August 1856 letter to Bishop Elliott, he expounded on the secessionist motives for his university. ) Polk laid and consecrated the cornerstone for the first building on October 9, 1860. Polk's foundational legacy at Sewanee is remembered through his portrait Sword Over the Gown , painted by Eliphalet F. Andrews in 1900. After

212-481: A major outranks a lieutenant ) is due to the derivation of major general from sergeant major general , which was a rank subordinate to lieutenant general (as a lieutenant outranks a sergeant major ). Several countries (e.g. Balkan states) use the rank of lieutenant colonel general instead of lieutenant general, in an attempt to solve this apparent anomaly. In contrast, in Russia and a number of other countries of

265-419: A Confederate general. Lucius E. Polk's son Rufus King Polk was a Congressman. Polk's son, William Mecklenburg Polk , was a physician and a Confederate captain who later served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War I. He later authored his most flattering biography. William M. Polk's son, Frank Polk , served as a counselor to the U.S. Department of State through World War I and later became

318-579: A basically incompetent general, Polk had the added fault of hating to take orders. Steven E. Woodworth , Jefferson Davis and His Generals In April 1862, Polk commanded the First Corps of Albert Sidney Johnston's Army of Mississippi at the Battle of Shiloh . He continued in that role for much of the year under Beauregard, who assumed command following the death of Johnston at Shiloh and then under Gen. Braxton Bragg . At various times, his command

371-917: A bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America , which separated from the Episcopal Church of the United States of America. He was a planter in Maury County, Tennessee , and a first cousin twice removed of President James K. Polk . He resigned his ecclesiastical position to become a major-general in the Confederate States Army , when he

424-528: A field commander was poor, Polk was immensely popular with his troops, and the Army of Tennessee deeply mourned his death. Polk's funeral service at Saint Paul's Church in Augusta, Georgia , was one of the most elaborate during the war. His friend Bishop Stephen Elliott of Georgia presided at the service, delivering a stirring funeral oration. He was buried in a location under the present-day altar. The church has

477-519: A massive Greek Revival home called Ashwood Hall . Polk was the largest slaveowner in the county in 1840, owning 111 slaves. (By 1850, the census recorded that Polk owned 400 slaves, but other estimates are as high as 1000.) He built a family chapel with his four brothers in Maury County, St. John's Church , at Ashwood. He also served as priest of St. Peter's Church in Columbia, Tennessee . He

530-518: A monument to Polk near the altar, and the original grave site can be visited. In 1945, his remains and those of his wife were reinterred at Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans . His grave can be found in the front floor sanctuary, to the right of the pulpit. Fort Polk in Louisiana was named for Polk until 2023 when it was renamed Fort Johnson . Polk's nephew, Lucius E. Polk , was also

583-640: A political necessity. Kenneth W. Noe , Perryville At the Battle of Perryville , Polk's right wing constituted the main attacking force against Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell 's Army of the Ohio , but Polk was reluctant to attack the small portion of Buell's army that faced him until Bragg arrived at the battlefield. One enduring legend of the Civil War is when Polk observed his subordinate, Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham , advancing his division, and Cheatham allegedly shouted, "Give 'em hell, boys!" Polk seconded

SECTION 10

#1732798172801

636-473: A severe loss. It was not that Polk had been a spectacular corps officer. His deficiencies as a commander and his personal traits of stubbornness and childishness had played no small role in several of the army's disasters in earlier times. The loss was one of morale and experience. Polk was the army's most beloved general, a representative of that intangible identification of the army with Tennessee. — Thomas L. Connelly , Autumn of Glory My pen and ability

689-558: Is a military rank used in many countries. The rank originates from the Old European System . The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages , where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a captain general . In modern armies, lieutenant general normally ranks immediately below general (or colonel general ) and above major general ; it

742-416: Is equivalent to the navy rank of vice admiral , and in air forces with a separate rank structure, it is equivalent to air marshal . In the United States, a lieutenant general has a three star insignia and commands an army corps , typically made up of three army divisions , and consisting of around 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers. The seeming incongruity that a lieutenant general outranks a major general (whereas

795-453: Is inadequate to the task of doing his memory justice. Every private soldier loved him. Second to Stonewall Jackson , his loss was the greatest the South ever sustained. When I saw him there dead, I felt that I had lost a friend whom I had ever loved and respected, and that the South had lost one of her best and greatest Generals. — Private Sam Watkins , Co. Aytch Although his record as

848-619: The Confederate States Army . Polk was commissioned a major general on June 25, 1861, and ordered to command Department No. 2 (roughly, the area between the Mississippi River and the Tennessee River ). He committed one of the great blunders of the Civil War by dispatching troops to occupy Columbus, Kentucky , in September 1861; the governor of the critical border state of Kentucky had declared its neutrality between

901-708: The United States and the Confederacy. Still, Polk's action prompted the Kentucky legislature to request U.S. aid to "expel the invaders", ensuring U.S. control of Kentucky for the remainder of the war. During this period, Polk argued about strategy with his subordinate, Brig. Gen. Gideon Johnson Pillow , and his superior, Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston , commander of Confederate forces in the Western Theater. Resentful that his former West Point roommate

954-788: The Virginia Theological Seminary . He became an assistant to Bishop Richard Channing Moore at Monumental Church in Richmond, Virginia . Moore agreed to ordain Polk as a deacon in April 1830; however, on a visit to Raleigh in March, it was discovered that he had never been confirmed as an Episcopalian. To remedy the fact, before his ordination, he was hastily confirmed at St. John's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, NC. He

1007-553: The Army of Tennessee withdrew into the mountains of northwestern Georgia with the Army of the Cumberland in hot pursuit. Bragg planned to attack and destroy at least one of Rosecrans' corps, advancing separately over mountainous roads. He was infuriated when Polk's division under Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman failed to attack an isolated U.S. Army corps at Davis's Cross Roads as ordered on September 11. Two days later, Polk disregarded orders from Bragg to attack another isolated corps,

1060-590: The Episcopal Church and was baptized in the Academy Chapel by Chaplain Charles P. McIlvaine , who later became the Episcopal Bishop of Ohio. Polk had an impressive academic record, excelling in rhetoric and moral philosophy. He graduated eighth of 38 cadets on July 1, 1827, and was appointed a brevet second lieutenant in the artillery. Polk resigned his commission on December 1, 1827, to enter

1113-736: The Mississippi Valley, Confederate president Jefferson Davis commissioned his elevation to a high military position regardless of his lack of prior combat experience. He commanded troops in the Battle of Shiloh , the Battle of Perryville , the Battle of Stones River , the Tullahoma Campaign , the Battle of Chickamauga , the Chattanooga Campaign , and the Atlanta Campaign . He is remembered for his bitter disagreements with his immediate superior,

SECTION 20

#1732798172801

1166-583: The Secretary of War and demanded a court of inquiry, he was not restored to his position. Davis once again retained Bragg in army command, despite the protestations of several of his subordinate generals. President Davis transferred his friend Polk to command the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (December 23, 1863 – January 28, 1864) and then the Department of Alabama and East Mississippi (January 28 – May 4, 1864), giving him effective command of

1219-584: The Third Corps of the Army of Tennessee on May 4. His command remained commonly known as the " Army of Mississippi ". Polk brought more than 20,000 men with him to Georgia. Because of his elevated rank, he became the army's second in command under Johnston. By using successive flanking maneuvers, Sherman forced Johnston to withdraw his army from strong defensive positions to protect the Confederate line of communication. This forced Johnston ever closer to

1272-453: The U.S. IV Corps , and ordered him to fire upon them. Battery I of the 1st Ohio Light Artillery , commanded by Capt. Hubert Dilger , obeyed the order within minutes. The first round from the battery came close and a second came even closer, causing the men to disperse. The third shell struck Polk's left arm, went through his chest, and exited, hitting his right arm, then exploded against a tree; it nearly cut Polk in two. The army had suffered

1325-431: The blame entirely on one of his subordinates, Maj. Gen. D. H. Hill . Bragg wrote to President Davis, "Gen'l Polk by education and habit is unfit for executing the plans of others. He will convince himself his own are better and follow them without reflecting on the consequences." Bragg relieved Polk of his command and ordered him to Atlanta to await further orders. Although Polk protested the "arbitrary and unlawful order" to

1378-436: The cheer while retaining the sensibility of a clergyman: "Give it to 'em, boys; give 'em what General Cheatham says!" After Perryville, Polk began a year-long campaign to get Bragg relieved of command, hoping to use his close relationship with President Davis to accomplish his goal. Despite the failure of his Kentucky campaign, Bragg was retained in command, but this did nothing to reduce the enmity between Polk and Bragg. Polk

1431-560: The combination of "Meridian Restorations" and "hope," reflecting the desire of the club to restore the building after decades of neglect. The foundation convinced the Mississippi Legislature to pass a special act allowing the city of Meridian to assist the group financially with the restoration. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 while it was still being restored, and as

1484-465: The critically important city of Atlanta. On June 14, 1864, Polk was scouting enemy positions near Marietta, Georgia , with his staff when he was killed in action by a U.S. 3-inch (76 mm) shell at Pine Mountain . The artillery fire was initiated when Sherman spotted a cluster of Confederate generals — Polk, William J. Hardee , and Johnston, with their staffs — in an exposed area. He pointed them out to Maj. Gen. Oliver Otis Howard , commander of

1537-501: The first Under Secretary of State . A brother of Polk, Lucius Junius Polk , married a grand-niece of Rachel Jackson , wife of U.S. President Andrew Jackson . U.S. President James K. Polk was Polk's first cousin twice removed. Polk's portrait, done by Cornelius Hankins , was donated to Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville, Tennessee, by his grandson W. Dudley Gate, in 1963. Military historian Steven E. Woodworth described

1590-446: The former Soviet Union , lieutenant general is a rank immediately below colonel general , and above major general  – in these systems there is no use of the brigadier general of many Western countries. In addition, some countries use the lieutenant general as the rank of divisional commander, and some have designated them with French revolutionary system . For example, some countries of South America use divisional general as

1643-434: The genial but pompous and often incompetent Bishop Polk. Bragg considered Polk "an old woman, utterly worthless", especially at disciplining men. Unfortunately for Bragg and for the Confederacy as a whole, Polk remained a great favorite of Jefferson Davis despite carefully couched hints from Bragg, which protected the irritatingly self-righteous Polk from the increasingly sycophantic Bragg and made his appointment to wing command

Merrehope - Misplaced Pages Continue

1696-462: The halls of the building. The first reported sighting was made by a former hostess who recognized the apparition from a painting in the museum room. Since then, several people have claimed to see or hear the spirit. Eugenia is one of two ghosts believed to be residing in the building; the other haunts the Periwinkle room. Donna White, Merrehope's current hostess, claims that she was walking into

1749-536: The likewise-controversial General Braxton Bragg of the Army of Tennessee , and for his general lack of success in combat. While serving under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston , he was killed in action in 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign . Leonidas Polk was born in Raleigh, North Carolina , to Colonel William and Sarah ( née Hawkins) Polk. William was a Revolutionary War veteran and prosperous planter. He

1802-546: The loss of these hours, "our independence might have been won." Chickamauga was a great tactical victory for Bragg. Still, instead of pursuing and destroying the U.S. army as it retreated, he laid siege to it in Chattanooga, concentrating his effort against the enemies inside his army instead of his enemies from the North. Bragg demanded an explanation from Polk on his failure to attack in time on September 20, and Polk placed

1855-476: The main block of the house, to which was attached the ell that was the original structure. The house took on its current appearance when it was purchased in 1904 by S. H. Floyd, who remodelled the house in the Academic Revival style. The ell was detached and moved back about 20 feet (6.1 m), and a second story containing two servants' rooms, bathrooms, and a hallway was added. On the first floor of

1908-445: The main block, a dining room , stairhall, bathroom, and guest room were added to the rear of the building while the two rooms on the north side of the hall were transformed into double parlors. The rooms on the south side of the hall were converted into a library . Upstairs, a bedroom suite was constructed on either side of the new hallway, and over the rear addition were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and another stairhall. A giant portico

1961-465: The original was vandalized in 1998, a copy by Connie Erickson was unveiled on June 1, 2003. The title refers to the answer given by Polk "when asked in Richmond if he was putting off the gown of an Episcopal bishop to take up the sword of a Confederate general, to which he replied, 'No, Sir, I am buckling the sword over the gown,'" indicating that he saw it was his duty as a bishop to take up arms. At

2014-638: The outbreak of the Civil War, Polk pulled the Louisiana Convention out of the Episcopal Church of the United States to form the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America . Although he hoped that secession would result in a peaceful separation of the slave states from the United States and suggested that he was reluctant to take up arms personally, he did not hesitate to write to his friend and former classmate at West Point, Jefferson Davis , offering his services in

2067-504: The portico was added, the original front porch was removed, but the balcony remained, supported by smaller columns attached to the ceiling of the new portico. The home was eventually divided into eight apartments in the 1930s, after which the building served as a boarding house until the 1960s. The building was purchased by the Meridian Restorations Foundation in 1968 and named Merrehope, a portmanteau for

2120-407: The room when she recognized an imprint of a body on the bed. She ran downstairs and checked the house for intruders but found no one. The ghost also reportedly makes loud crashes and bangs from the room, yet nothing is found broken when the room is inspected. Leonidas Polk Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was an American Confederate military officer,

2173-464: The second failed opportunity. At the Battle of Chickamauga , Polk was given command of the Right Wing and the responsibility for initiating the attack on the second day of battle (September 20). He failed to inform his subordinates of the plan, and his wing was late in attacking, allowing the U.S. defenders time to complete their field fortifications. Bragg wrote after the war that if it were not for

Merrehope - Misplaced Pages Continue

2226-592: The shell that killed Polk as "one of the worst shots fired for the Union cause during the entire course of the war", as Polk's incompetence made him far more valuable alive than dead: "Polk's incompetence and willful disobedience had consistently hamstrung Confederate operations west of the Appalachians, while his special relationship with the president made the bishop-general untouchable." Lieutenant general Lieutenant general ( Lt Gen , LTG and similar)

2279-518: The state of Mississippi following the departure of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to replace Bragg in command of the Army of Tennessee. Polk unsuccessfully attempted to oppose Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman 's raid against Meridian, Mississippi , in February 1864. In May, he was ordered to take his forces and join Johnston in resisting Sherman's advance in the Atlanta Campaign . He assumed command of

2332-412: Was added to the east and south sides of the building, and the two-story Ionic columns were placed atop six-foot plinths connected by a wall which ran the length of the porticos. Three more plinths were added to the north side of the building without columns, and a fourth plinth supports a one-story column under the second story of the ell. This column is all that remains of a former porte-cochère . When

2385-699: Was appointed Missionary Bishop of the Southwest in September 1838 and was elected first Bishop of Louisiana in October 1841. In 1848, he performed the marriage of his niece, Mary Bayard Devereux , to Major William John Clarke. Polk was the leading founder of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee , which he envisioned as a national university for the Southern United States and

2438-400: Was called " Sewanee 's Fighting Bishop". His official portrait at the University of the South depicts him as a bishop with his army uniform hanging nearby. He is often erroneously referred to as "Leonidas K. Polk" but he had no middle name and never signed any documents as such. Polk was one of the war's more notable, yet controversial, political generals . Recognizing his familiarity with

2491-460: Was considered a corps and, at other times, the "Right Wing" of the army. In the fall, during the invasion of Kentucky by Bragg and Maj. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith , Polk was in temporary command of the Army of Mississippi while Bragg visited Frankfort to preside over the inauguration of a Confederate governor for the state. Polk disregarded an order from Bragg to attack the flank of the pursuing U.S. army near Frankfort. Bragg thoroughly despised ...

2544-557: Was giving him orders, he submitted a resignation letter to President Davis on November 6, but Davis rejected the request. Polk's command saw its first combat on November 7, 1861: the minor Battle of Belmont between troops under Pillow and U.S. soldiers under Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant . Polk was wounded nearby on November 11 when the largest cannon in his army, nicknamed "Lady Polk" in honor of his wife, exploded during demonstration firing. The explosion stunned Polk and blew his clothes off, requiring several weeks of recovery. Besides being

2597-562: Was of Scottish And Anglo-Huguenot ancestry. Capitalizing on his position as chief surveyor of the central district of Tennessee, he acquired about 100,000 acres (400 km ) of land. Polk briefly attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point . During his senior year, he left the Scottish Calvinist church. He joined

2650-513: Was promoted to lieutenant general on October 11, 1862, with date of rank of October 10. He became the second most senior Confederate of that rank during the war, behind James Longstreet . In November, the Army of Mississippi was renamed the Army of Tennessee and Polk commanded its First Corps until September 1863. Polk fought under Bragg at the Battle of Stones River in late 1862. Once again, Bragg's subordinates politicked to remove their army commander after an unsuccessful battle (the battle

2703-571: Was tactically inconclusive, but Bragg was unable to stop the advance of the U.S. Army of the Cumberland under Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans and Bragg withdrew his army to Tullahoma, Tennessee ). Bragg was also unsuccessful in resisting Rosecrans's advance in the Tullahoma Campaign , which began to threaten the important city of Chattanooga . In the face of Rosecrans's expert maneuvering of his army, Polk counseled Bragg to retreat rather than stand and fight in their Tullahoma fortifications. Rosecrans eventually maneuvered Bragg out of Chattanooga, and

SECTION 50

#1732798172801

2756-423: Was then ordained a deacon as planned and a priest the following year. On May 6, 1830, Polk married Frances Ann Devereux, daughter of John Devereux and Frances Pollock; her mother was the granddaughter of Puritan theologian Jonathan Edwards . The Polks had eight children who survived to adulthood. In 1832, Polk moved his family to the vast Polk Rattle and Snap tract in Maury County, Tennessee , and constructed

2809-570: Was used as headquarters for Confederate General Leonidas Polk during the American Civil War and as a shelter for several of Union General William T. Sherman 's officers when they attacked the city in the Battle of Meridian . The house is one of only six homes in Meridian that remained standing after Sherman's raid. After the war, John H. and Eliza Gary resided in the house before selling it to J. C. Lloyd in 1881. The Garys had built

#800199