Description:

LEONIDAS POLK BATTLE OF SHILOH REPORT
War-date fair copy of his report on the battle of Shiloh by Confederate Gen. Leonidas Polk (secretarially penned), 12pp. folio, "Head Quarters, Right Wing, Army of the Mississippi," September ,1862, five months after the engagement. One of the major battles of the Western Theater, Shiloh was fought over two days, April 6 and 7, 1862. The Confederates fought well the first day, but were defeated by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee the following day. Polk begins with a detailed breakdown of his corps and the proposed plan of battle, mentioning the dispositions of Hardee, Cheatham, Clark, Bragg, Beauregard, etc. After maneuvering into position, he is given control of the general line, describing Sherman's men as fighting: "...with determined courage...the gallant Blythe...fell under my eye, pierced through the heart...Gen. Clark, too, while cheering his command...struck down & so severely wounded...Brig. Gen. Johnson, while leading his Brigade, also fell, it was feared, mortally wounded...Captain Marshall T. Polk, of Polk's battery, who lost a leg...news reached me that the Commander in Chief, Gen. Johnston, had fallen...". . The report is filled with accounts of the actions of his fellow commanders, as witnessed by him, as well as further description of the fate of those that fell. Polk's report also offers direct quotes from his fellow generals. Of his own men he notes: "...The enemy in our front was gradually & successively driven from his position, & forced from the field back on the river bank. About five P.M. my line attacked the enemy's troops...in an encampment on my right...the resistance was sharp but short. The enemy...hoisted a white flag and surrendered...." Polk concludes his narrative by thanking his commanders and men. Incredible detail in this dramatic after-action report which has been marked as a true copy by an A.A.G. Folds, else very good.

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February 19, 2014 11:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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