The Bishop of the Old South: The Ministry and Civil War Legacy of Leonidas PolkLeonidas Polk was one of the antebellum South's most significant religious leaders. The son of a wealthy, slaveholding veteran of the Revolutionary War, Polk graduated from West Point in 1827 and seemed destined for martial service. Instead he pursued a ministerial career and was the first Episcopal bishop of Louisiana. Polk attempted to cultivate a religious solidarity among white Southerners of all classes and to broaden the social and cultural appeal of Episcopalianism in the South. Ultimately, Polk's Lost Cause mythmakers developed a public memory of the bishop general that celebrated the virtue of the Christian gentleman who had waged war for Southern independence. A considerable amount of new information on Polk's family, time at West Point, ministry, life as a planter, role with Sewanee, and his place within the pantheon of Lost Cause icons has been brought to light. What emerges is a clearer portrait of the Bishop of the Old South. |
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Page ix
... early years of his ministry , but in 1838 he became missionary bishop of the Southwest and in 1841 he was named bishop of Louisiana . During this time , Polk also managed several impressive plantations and owned a large number of slaves ...
... early years of his ministry , but in 1838 he became missionary bishop of the Southwest and in 1841 he was named bishop of Louisiana . During this time , Polk also managed several impressive plantations and owned a large number of slaves ...
Page 1
... early 1740s , where he and his wife raised eight children . William's second son was Thomas Polk , the grandfather of Leonidas Polk . It was the ever - colorful Thomas Polk who provided the initial drama for the Polks ' North Carolina ...
... early 1740s , where he and his wife raised eight children . William's second son was Thomas Polk , the grandfather of Leonidas Polk . It was the ever - colorful Thomas Polk who provided the initial drama for the Polks ' North Carolina ...
Page 3
... early activities as a patriot and the letter to Washington see , Polk , Leonidas Polk , 1 : 10-19 . 7 Hugh F. Rankin , The North Carolina Continentals ( Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press , 1971 ) 252-58 . 8 Ibid . , 261 ...
... early activities as a patriot and the letter to Washington see , Polk , Leonidas Polk , 1 : 10-19 . 7 Hugh F. Rankin , The North Carolina Continentals ( Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press , 1971 ) 252-58 . 8 Ibid . , 261 ...
Page 4
... early stages of the climactic southern campaign against the British commander Lord Charles Cornwallis . After the Battle of Guilford Court House , Polk earned a Polk , Leonidas Polk , 1:34 . The Continental Congress was extremely ...
... early stages of the climactic southern campaign against the British commander Lord Charles Cornwallis . After the Battle of Guilford Court House , Polk earned a Polk , Leonidas Polk , 1:34 . The Continental Congress was extremely ...
Page 8
... early 1800s when the Republicans gained control of the state legislature . Despite the decline of the Federalist Party , Polk was convinced that " Jacobinism " had reached its apogee in the Tarheel State and he refused to abandon his ...
... early 1800s when the Republicans gained control of the state legislature . Despite the decline of the Federalist Party , Polk was convinced that " Jacobinism " had reached its apogee in the Tarheel State and he refused to abandon his ...
Contents
1 | |
Evangelical Origins | 35 |
The Planter as Priest | 74 |
The Emergence of a Southern Nationalist | 115 |
The Bishop as General | 151 |
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antebellum Army of Tennessee Baton Rouge battle Belmont bishop of Louisiana Bishop Polk Braxton Bragg Breckinridge cadets campaign Chapel Hill chaplain Charles Colcock Jones Cheatham Christ Christian Church Intelligencer Civil Clapp clerical command Confederacy Convention culture death denomination Devereux Diocese of Louisiana elite Episcopalians Federal Georgia gospel historian honor Jackson James James Hervey Otey Jefferson Davis John Johnston Joseph Merrick Kentuckians Kentucky Leighton Leonidas Polk Papers Lost Cause Louisiana History Louisiana State University McIlvaine Memphis Merrick Jones Hall ministry Missions Mississippi Moreover neutrality North Carolina Old South Orleans Otey Pioneer and Agriculturalist plantation planters political Polk to William Polk's prayer Presbyterian President Protestant Episcopal Church Quintard religion Ruffin Sarah Polk secession Seminary sermon slaveholders slavery social society soldiers Solon Robinson Southern Episcopalians Southern Evangelicals Southern nationalism spirit Stephen Elliott sugar Thayer theological Tulane University United University of North University Press USMA Virginia vols West Point William Polk York
Popular passages
Page 5 - Polk and Middleton, who commanded the state infantry, 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.