Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by R.J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation.
About The Kennesaw gazette. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1886-189? | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1887)
KHINESAW V ■ — ) f Vol. 11. The Western & Atlantic Rail road’s HYMN OF PRAISE. God of wisdom, who the minds lit Which devised thisroval way, Still Thy wisdom’s influence binds it In faith’s counsels e’en to day. God of battles, when death’s terrors Flash’d like lightnings o’er our land, Thou protecting then wast near us, Shielded us beneath Thy hand. God of mercy, when home’s treasure Ruin smote, and chill’d our pride, Then Thy grace was our sole pleasure, In our hearts hope else had died. God of love, with us, beside us Dwell, and feast us with Thy love; Take us by the hand and lead us, Guide us to Thy courts above. God of glory, when Thy splendor Wondrous fills eternity, By Thy Son’s blood, pure and tender, Saved may we abide with Thee. Jos. M. Brown. Flowers for the Graves of Sol diers. April has witnessed in the south, and May has witnessed in the south and north the observance of “Memo rial Day” for the Confederate dead and “Decoration Day” for the Union dead. On these days the men and women of the south and of the north have come with their children to the last resting places of the fallen soldiery to strew flowers upon their graves, and to call anew to remembrance the af fection in which the dead were held when they went forth from home into the battle storm twenty odd years ago. It is an observance which does honor to the hearts and hands of those who are gathered in the “cities of the dead” with “Flowers, for the graves of our soldiers, Who sleep ’till the dawn of the day, When the bugle shall call to the last review The ‘Boys in Blue and Gray.’ Flowers to fill the chasm That divided our beautiful land, Mowers, for the comrades gone before, To join their last command. Gone, to the great court-martial, Where the love and prayers of our land Shall form a strong Relief Corps, Upheld by woman’s hand.” A. humorous dare-devil—tine very man to suit my purpose. Bulweb. THE “DEATH OF GENERAL FOLK" ZNTLTNTBEEL ~v k Jfe W . Wf W#V ' ' 3® - ww DEATH OF GENERAL POLK. Gen. Slicnuan’s Account of Gen. Polk’s Death. * * * By the 14th, the rain slackened, and we occupied a continu ous line of ten miles, intrenched, con forming to the irregular position of the enemy, when I reconnoitered, with a view to make a break in their line be tween Kennesaw and Pine Mountain. When abreast of Pine Mountain, I no ticed a rebel battery on its crest, with a continuous line of fresh rifle-trench about half-way down the hill. Our skirmishers were at the time engaged in the woods about the base of this hill between the lines, and 1 estimated the distance to the battery on the crest at about eight hundred yards. Near it, in plain view, stood a group of the en emy, evidently observing us with glass es/ General Howard, commanding the Fourth Corps, was near by, and I called his attention to this group, and ordered him compel it to keep behind its cover. He replied that his orders from General Thomas were to spare artillery-ammunition. This was right, according to the general policy, but I explained to him that we must keep up the morale of a bold offensive, that he must use his artillery, force the en emy to remain on the timid defensive, and ordered him*to” cause a battery close by to fire three volleys. The next division in order was Geary’s, and I gave him similar orders, Gen- ATLANTA, CA., JUNE I, 1887. eral Polk, in my opinion, was killed by the second volley fired from the first battery referred to. *l* *4* *l* 4* It has been asserted that I fired the gun which killed General I’olk, and that I knew it was directed against that General. The fact is, at that distance we could not even tell that the group were officers, at all; I was on horse back, a couple of hundred yards off, before my orders to fire were executed; had no idea that our shot had taken effect, and continued my ride down along the line to Schofield’s extreme flank, returning late in the evening to my headquarters at Big Shanty, where I occupied an abandoned house. In the cotton-field back of that house was our signal station, on the roof of an old gin-house. The signal-officer reported that by studying the enemy’s signals he had learned the “key,” and that he could read their signals. He explain ed to me that he had translated a sig nal about noon, from Pine Mountain to Marietta, “Send an ambulance for General Polk’s bodyand late in the day another, “Why don’t you send an ambulance for General Polk?” From this we inferred that General Polk had been killed, but how or where, we knew not; -and this inference was con firmed later in the same day by the re port of some prisoners who had been cap tured,-(“Memoirs,” pages 52,53,54.) Lieutenant-General Polk Killed From the Atlanta Intelligencer, June 16, 1864. Marietta, June 14, 1864. Col. J. S. Thrasher: — Lieut-Gen. Polk was struck by a cannon shot to-day about eleven o’clock, and was instantly killed. Generals Johnston, Hardee and Jackson were with him when he fell. Douglas West, A. A. G. Lieutenant - General Leonidas Polk. From the Augusta Constitutionalist, June 16,1864. No event of personal description, says the Atlanta Confederacy, since the fall of Stonewall Jackson, compares, in painful interest and in national calamity, with the death of Ueuten ant-G eneral Leonidas Polk. He was every inch a soldier, gentleman and Christian, and he was beloved and re spected beyond the usual mark, both in the army and in the church. Few of the citizens of the south have led so varied and distinguished a career, and no one in his sphere of duty was more useful and representative. He was faithful in purpose, sincere of heart, zealous by nature, and the very soul of courage. His spirit was as ardent as the most fiery knight of the crusade, but there mingled with his chivalry the temperance of prin ciple. With an hereditary pride of character, an inherent dignity and a lofty presence, he united the modesty and grace of piety in religion, and charity in life. Excepting only Gen. Robert E. Lee, the bearing of no man in the south was so imposing. It bore all the charm of a ready ad dress, a frank manliness and good humor, a graceful carriage, a personal of symmetrical proportion, and a countenance warm with gracious kind liness, cheerfulness and culture. He was generous and genial. His ele gance of manner was rivalled by the beauty and versatility of his conver sation. Perhaps his only fault as a commander was his social genius; but had he followed the profession of arms from the time he quitted West Point to the present day, instead of spending five and twenty years of the interim in the church, this war would not have known his superior. Those who know him do not doubt that his natural fitness was for the field. As a churchman and prelate, Bishop Polk reminded tlm stranger of the ancient worthies of England, whom Hume could not but respect, and... whom Macaulay reveres ; but in the saddle he was us clear an idea of Ju piter Tonaus as we ever beheld, a dar- NO. IL
