Southern Cross
A New View of Leonidas Polk and His Clashes with Braxton Bragg
$39.95
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About the Book
Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk was a distinguished West Point graduate, the first Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana, a university founder, and a Confederate commander beloved by his troops, esteemed by the public, and killed on the field of battle. In spite of his many accomplishments, historians invariably disparage Polk’s generalship and even his personal character—but is their treatment fair or accurate?
This work employs a balanced perspective to shed new light on Polk’s military leadership and reveal unexpected truths that explain his conflict with General Braxton Bragg. A seemingly insignificant piece of correspondence, along with an exploration of both men’s writings, coalesce into an understanding of the root cause of the command dysfunction and chronic failures of the Army of Tennessee.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Amanda Low Warren
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 242
Bibliographic Info: 48 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9382-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5238-2
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1. From Cadet to Bishop to General 3
Chapter 2. “Gibraltar of the West” 15
Chapter 3. Shiloh 24
Chapter 4. Perryville 46
Chapter 5. Middle Tennessee 60
Chapter 6. Trouble in Army of Tennessee High Command 77
Chapter 7. Was Polk Insubordinate? 100
Chapter 8. Chickamauga 109
Chapter 9. Independent Command in Mississippi 140
Chapter 10. The Atlanta Campaign 160
Chapter 11. Historians’ Negative Portrayal of Polk 173
Chapter 12. Polk’s True Nature and Personality 199
Chapter 13. Bragg vs. Polk 204
Last Words 210
Chapter Notes 213
Bibliography 223
Index 227
Book Reviews & Awards
• “No matter how numerous, accusations without a defense do not constitute a trial. If General Leonidas Polk is to be properly judged before the bar of history, he deserves a defense. Amanda Warren provides one that is a keeper.”—Philip Leigh, author of The Confederacy at Flood Tide: The Political and Military Ascension, June to December 1862
• “Amanda Warren’s Southern Cross is the best military biography of the South’s ‘Fighting Bishop’ to be written in decades. Well researched and superbly written, it casts serious doubt on some of the criticisms of General Leonidas Polk’s military abilities, as well as some of the unjust attacks on his personal character. Highly recommended.”—Samuel W. Mitcham Jr., author of The Encyclopedia of Confederate Generals