Christ and the Confederate III:General Leonidas Polk - The Fighting Bishop

One of the more controversial generals in the Confederate army, General Leonidas Polk was elevated to a high rank without having any previous combat experience. This giant of the Christian faith believed himself to be fighting the battle of the Lord.

Bishop Polk is one of the Confederate military leaders I did not learn about in high school American History. I knew nothing of this humble servant of God until I read a quote by him, while preparing for a sermon. I believe it is time that more Americans knew about the Fighting Bishop, General Leonidas Polk.

Polk was born on April 10, 1806 in Raleigh, North Carolina to Sarah Hawkins-Polk and Colonel William Polk, a Revolutionary War veteran and prosperous planter. Polk briefly attended the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point.

During his senior year at West Point, Polk read an evangelical tract and became a Christian. He was baptized at the West Point Academy Chapel and joined the Episcopal Church. Polk's conversion and baptism sparked the first revival in West Point's history. Leonidas Polk graduated eighth in a class of thirty-eight on July 1, 1827, and was appointed a brevet second lieutenant in the artillery. He resigned his commission on December 1, 1827 in order to enter Virginia Theological Seminary.

Polk became the assistant to Bishop Richard Channing Moore at Monumental Church in Richmond, Virginia. Moore ordained Polk as a deacon in 1830 and as a priest in 1831.

On May 6, 1830, he married Frances Anne Deveraux, great-granddaughter of the Puritan theologian Jonathan Edwards.

In 1832, Polk moved his family to Maury County, Tennessee. There, he built a massive Greek Revival home called Ashwood Hall. Polk served as priest at St. Peter's Church in Columbia, Tennessee. In 1838, he was appointed Missionary Bishop of the Southwest. In 1841,he was elected the first bishop of Louisiana. At the outbreak of the War Between the States, Polk pulled the Louisiana convention out of the Episcopal Church of the United States.

In 1861,Polk accepted a commission as major general in the Confederate States Army. Polk was criticized, in the North, for being both clergy and a warrior. Southerners, however, viewed Polk in a much different light. The Memphis Appeal proclaimed, " Like Gideon and David, he is marshaling his legions to fight the battle of the Lord."

Polk fought for the Confederate States Army, with all his might. He pushed back U.S. Grant at Belmont, and helped lead Confederate forces at Chickamauga. During the battle of Perryville, Confederate General Cheatham advanced, shouting, "Give 'em hell, boys!" General Polk, conscious of the fact he was also an Episcopal bishop, joined in: "Give it to 'em boys; give 'em what General Cheatham says!"

In Battles for Atlanta, Ronald H. Bailey reports that "On his way to battle at Resaca, General John Bell Hood confided his will to be baptized. About midnight, [Leonidas] Polk went to Hood's headquarters. There, while the one-legged Hood, unable to kneel, leaned on his crutches in the dim candlelight, the portly bishop dipped his hands into a horse bucket of consecrated water and performed the rite of baptism. Then he buckled on his sword and returned to Resaca."

In June 1864 a cannonball struck down the most beloved general in the Army of the Tennessee.

Christ and the Confederate II: General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson

General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson was as committed a Christian as he was a soldier. One writer described him as living by the New Testament and fighting by the Old.

Orphaned at six years old, Jackson grew up poor and uneducated in foster homes. When he entered West Point, he was ranked near the bottom of his class. At graduation, however, he was ranked seventeenth in his class. Leaving as a second lieutenant , he served in the Mexican-American War.

While serving in the occupation forces, after the war, a superior challenged him to study the Christian faith. He did so, all the while struggling with severe intestinal problems. In a letter to his sister, Jackson wrote that he intestinal problems were decreed by the Lord and they were a punishment for offending the law of God and were the means used to turn him from the path of eternal death to that of eternal life. Jackson was baptized at the age of 25.

When he was thirty, his young wife and unborn child died. Although stricken with grief, the deaths ultimately served to strengthen his faith in Christ. He married his second wife, Mary Anna Morrison, in 1857. They were married until Jackson's death in 1863.

Though baptized as an Episcopalian, Jackson became a Presbyterian, and was known as a large tither at his home church. The Jacksons had morning prayers at 7 am. General Jackson required the entire household to be in attendance. Jackson never waited for anyone, not even is wife, to begin the morning prayers. After breakfast, he would leave for his teaching duties at Virgina Military Institute. Upon arriving home, Jackson threw himself into Bible study.

In April 1861, after praying with his wife and cadets, Jackson left for Richmond to assume his command. During the Battle of Manassas in July 1861, he took an inexperienced infantry brigade and turned the tide of the battle. During the battle, Brigadier General Barnard Bee instructed his men: "There stands Jackson like a stone wall. Rally behind the Virginians!" The nickname stuck, and General Jackson became General Lee's right-hand man in battle. He was daring and often moved large numbers of men quickly. In sixty days, his troops marched over six hundred miles and fought five major battles.

His military prowess earned him the fear of Northerners, and the admiration of Southerners. However, Jackson never lost sight of where his abilities came from. After Lee commended him for his performance in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Jackson replied: "General Lee is very kind, but he should give the praise to God."

Even on the battlefield, Jackson maintained an active prayer life. According to historian John W. Schildt, "His men saw him stumbling and falling over trees and rocks. They almost thought he had had too much to drink. That was not the problem. He was praying with his eyes closed while he walked."

Jackson was rigid and stern, and he fought intensely with his subordinates. Some thought he was insane. But despite the way some writers have portrayed him, Jackson was not a fanatic. It's simply that, in one historian's words, his "primary interests" were "Biblical theology and Christian discipleship."

Because of this, he could declare: "My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time of my death." After being accidentally shot by his own forces, he died on Sunday, May 10, 1863. "I always wanted to die on a Sunday," he said.

Christ and the Confederate I: General Robert E. Lee

Depending on who you are, you either love or hate General Robert E. Lee. Due to his status as the most prominent leader of the Confederate army, there is not middle ground when it comes to sentiment concerning him. We have learned of his military genius in history class, but often overlooked is the deep piety of this humble servant of God. In this post, we will look at the often overlooked part of the life of this general among generals.

Robert E. Lee was raised as an Anglican Christian. General Lee, along with his daughters Mary and Annie, was confirmed by Rev. John Johns at Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia on July 17, 1853. After his confirmation, there was a remarkable change in his manner of life. With firm, and deep, conviction he began to study the Bible and pray daily. He also began to attend church regularly. His deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ informed all areas of his life. For example, when he was president of Washington College, he saw himself as much a missionary as an educator.

We will now look at a few examples of how his faith impacted his life. General Lee hated slavery. General Lee, long before the War, freed slaves that he had inherited from his wife's estate. In a letter to President Franklin Pierce, General Lee wrote that we should give the final abolition of slavery the aid of our prayers.

General Lee also prayed for his friends. Upon hearing of the injury of General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, General Lee prayed for him, and requested that word be sent to General Jackson informing him of General Lee's prayers for him. General Lee also prayed for his family, enemies, the men who served underneath him, and prayed for revival.

General Lee often fasted and prayed, and encouraged others to do likewise. When President Jefferson Davis declared a day of prayer and fasting, General Lee encouraged all those serving under him to fast and pray.

General Lee, also, had a heart for the lost. As president of Washington College, General Lee once remarked that his desire was for all the men there to become true Christians.

There are many other examples of his piety, but they would fill many volumes. We can say, with firm confidence, that General Lee was a humble servant of the Lord. We would do well to imitate this great hero of the faith.