Leonidas Polk is one of the most fascinating figures of the Civil War. Consecrated as a bishop of the Episcopal Church and commissioned as a general into the Confederate army, Polk's life in both spheres blended into a unique historical composite. Polk was a man with deep religious convictions but equally committed to the Confederate cause. He baptized soldiers on the eve of bloody battles, administered last rites and even presided over officers' weddings, all while leading his soldiers into battle. Historian Cheryl White examines the life of this soldier-saint and the legacy of a man who unquestionably brought the first viable and lively Protestant presence to Louisiana and yet represents the politics of one of the darkest periods in American history.

Cheryl H. White, Ph.D. is a professor of history at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Her research interests include medieval Europe, Tudor England and Christian/religious history. In addition to numerous journal articles and academic conference presentations, she has co-written two previous titles: "Historic Haunts of Shreveport"? and "Wicked Shreveport."?