“Of All the Mad Looking Rebs the Picture Man Said I Was the Maddest.”

Captain Jim Polk, nephew of Gen. Leonidas Polk and second cousin to President James K. Polk, started the war with a battalion that became part of the 6th Tennessee Cavalry. In an 1864 raid, his favorite horse, "Skedaddle" went lame. Here's what happened next.
"Life on the Civil War Research Trail" is hosted by Ronald S. Coddington, Editor and Publisher of Military Images magazine. Learn more about our mission to showcase, interpret and preserve Civil War portrait photography at militaryimagesmagazine.com and shopmilitaryimages.com.
This episode is brought to you in part by Kurt Luther and his team at Civil War Photo Sleuth, a free site that uses face recognition and classic research techniques to identify faces of Civil War soldiers. Learn more at civilwarphotosleuth.com.
Image: American Civil War Museum
This channel is a member of the KZbin Partner Program. Your interest, support, and engagement is key, and I'm grateful for it. Thank you!

[@dresqueda]

Thank you for sharing the fascinating story of Captain James Hillard Polk! He certainly led an adventurous life!

[@peternewell9256]

I am a direct descendant of the Polk family having lived my childhood surrounded by framed portraits of Polk family officers who served in the Army of Tennessee. Just yesterday I was organizing some family photos and I found my cousin Jim's Carte De Visite. Even as a POW he was the picture of defiance so I don't wonder at the photographer's comment. Although a little the worse for wear I would like to post it for the viewers if you would like me to.

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

Yes, please do!

[@yisroelkatz-xj6pq]

Polk has a very nice looking uniform! I love his very long boots!

[@thesnootyfox]

Very much enjoy your channel. Thanks

[@curtgomes]

The incredibly twists and turns life threw to so many people... and still does. Thanks for this very interesting story.

[@JeagerTank]

And thank you for writing this

[@b4thebb]

Hey, Ron! You have been getting me through my morning prep shifts at a pizza place for the last 6 months! You are doing what I dreamed of as a child with your research, and I commend you for getting with the times and making a KZbin channel. Do you know of anyone researching and making videos about the music of the war in a similar fashion to you? I hope I haven't played my hand...

[@vickiedempster4564]

Hi Ron. I am new to your channel. Am very interested in civil war accounts. Could you possibly do a story from the battle of Brice’s crossroads. Our home was caught up in battle as headquarters and later a hospital in 1864. Thank you for your channel

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

I will look into this!

[@conradnelson5283]

These biographies are crazy. These people lived variegated lives. Unpredictable, unforeseen, and precedented. Would love to read novels of each of them

[@brianniegemann4788]

You might enjoy "Flags on the Bayou" by James Lee Burke.

[@mmm091000]

Old Jim trading us Brits untamed horses ‘ the old rascal’ one of my favourite stories 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸

[@markmcintosh7095]

Thank you, that was very interesting.

[@Tarkett01]

Great story, really enjoy these real life tales of the Soldiers of both armies

[@oldsouthmike65]

Very interesting video

[@jerroldbates355]

Another great story. 👍

[@beerye9331]

History seems to be full of inaccuracies, especially for those who were there.

[@richiephillips1541]

Just a thought.... to this day an elephant remains in the room that should have, in this day of apologists for the sins of the US, been acknowledged. The elephant is the reluctance to even bring up the subject of why Confederate POWs starved inside Union POW camps. Unlike the Confederate camps, the situation outside the Union camps was one of plentiful food. The withholding of food from Confederate prisoners wasn't caused by rationing from a lack of food, it was deliberate and 100% easily avoidable, yet it was done. A war crime which to this day gets a free pass.

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

I recommend "Military Prisons of the Civil War: A Comparative Study," by my friend, the late David L. Keller. It opened my mind to the larger issues that plagued prisons in the North and South.

[@owensomers8572]

My wife's family had two members who were guests of the US Army. One was from North Carolina, taken prisoner at Gettysburg, and after several short stays at camps in Maryland was moved to Johnson's Island Prison located on Lake Erie, he was exchanged in March of 1865. Conditions were generally good at Johnson's Island, but many privileges and comfort items were removed after conditions at Andersonville, Salisbury and Libbey became known to the US. The other, from Texas, was taken prisoner in late 1864 and held in a liberated area. The family anecdote is that his wife heard he was wounded and malnourished, so sent her 13 year old son (his stepson) with provisions and cash. The stepson arrived at the POW camp, only to discover the stepfather had passed away before he arrived. I would question the veracity of claiming plentiful food "outside" Union POW camps located near the front lines, or anywhere in liberated territory, there were significant logistical barriers. Clearly abuses did occur, but from what I have read this was largely attributed as retaliation for abuses the CSA had already committed.

[@richiephillips1541]

@@owensomers8572 Are you serious? Question the veracity? Come on. Confederate POWs were losing their teeth in Camp Douglas from scurvy from intentional food deprivation by the Union Army guards. Camp Douglas was in Chicago, so your theory doesn't fly very well.

[@owensomers8572]

@@richiephillips1541 Camp Douglas was not "near the front lines, or anywhere in liberated territory."

[@richiephillips1541]

@@owensomers8572 You may want to re-read the previous posts. YOU were the one pointing out the "veracity" of my comment by pointing out the locations of certain camps, not me. My CLEAR point was that your statement didn't hold water since Camp Douglas was nowhere NEAR the front lines.

[@noapologizes2018]

Captain Jim Polk appears to have been a scoundrel more so than anything else. A person, if you knew of him, would not want to do business with. Kind of like today's used car salesman.

[@davide9658]

Sounds a lot like conjecture or projection to me. To me Captain Polk's story seems to describe a brave and indefatigable person.

[@squirrelygirl1844]

Having known relatives that survived a war, invasion, and defeat in a different war, I cannot be judgmental about what folks did to survive in the aftermath of the Civil War. I had not heard of the use of human shields during the Civil War. That was a terrible to learn that fact.

[@georgiapines7906]

Salute!

[@robinhenderson8723]

I grew up in Maury county, Tennessee. The Rattle and Snap plantation home still stands and if I'm not mistaken is sometimes open to visitors.

[@lewdachris7721]

@@squirrelygirl1844they started it 🤷🏻‍♂️