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Description
Confederate Major General Leonidas Polk writes to a general from Fort Pillow, discussing the latter's disposition in regard to Col. Neely's regiment. Polk also transmits further details regarding operations and supplies. Dated August 23, 1861.
Transcription
[recto] Head-Quarters, Department No. 2. Ft. Pillow. Tenn. Aug 23 1861 General Your dispatch of the 21st is received. In reply I have to say that I am grateful to find you repudiate what otherwise would seem to be the only construction to be put upon the course pursued by you in regard to Col Neelys Regiment - to wit- a disposition to consult your own con-venience, to gratify your own wishes, and to set up your own judgement in opposition to the positive orders of the Commanding General. You speak nevertheless of the inconvenience of being "tied down and allowed no discretion" and suggest that your "energies should not be crippled." I am not aware of the existence of any evidence of a disposition to do any thing of this kind at Head [verso] Quarters. On the contrary, I am conscious of the desire to give you the largest discretion and the most efficient support in side of the sphere embraced by your command, and I may add you will never find the exercise of your discretion curtailed except when there seems to be a disposition manifested to extend your lawful authority. But your explanation is satisfactory and I waive the transmission of the correspondence to Richmond and all further notice or recollection of the matter, and hope you may have a brilliant and successful campaign. I send you in the Ohio Hills 40 miles, the larger part of which were in the lot put on shore here & allowed to escape in the landing of the HIll. I send you a copy of an order sent to me to the Qtr Master Anderson at Memphis in regard to other transportation. Let me know if you will want what is ordered. I desire to correct a remark of yours in (yr Disp. 21) in reference to your lack of facilities since the superceiding of Qr Master Silus? Your facilities shall be as great hereafter as they have been heretofore, and you have only to send forward your requisitions and they shall be promptly responded to. I remain Repectfully your ob. etc. Leonidas Polk Maj. Gen. Commandg 2d Dept.
Creation Date
8-23-1861
County
Lauderdale County
State/Province
Tennessee
Country
United States
Creator Life Dates
1806-1864
Keywords
Confederate States Army, Leonidas Polk, Fort Pillow, Ohio Hills, Memphis, Tennessee, Colonel Neely, Quartermaster Anderson, disposition, Richmond, August 23 1861, discretion
Resource Identifier
070428-26
Date Digital
4-24-2014
Document Type
Manuscript
Disciplines
Military History | United States History
Format (medium)
manuscript
Format (IMT)
Language
En-us
Digitization Specifications
800ppi 24-bit depth color; Scanned with an Epson 15000 Photo scanner with Epson Scan software; Archival master is a TIFF; TIFFs converted to PDF with Adobe Acrobat XI Pro.
Source
The original from which this digital representation is taken is housed in The Littlejohn Collection at Wofford College, located in the Sandor Teszler Library.
Recommended Citation
Polk, Leonidas, "Leonidas Polk letter to an unidentified Confederate general, addressing various issues of command and supply. Fort Pillow, Tennessee, August 23, 1861." (1861). Broadus R. Littlejohn, Jr. Manuscript and Ephemera Collection. 237.
https://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/littlejohnmss/237
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.