Question: How was Confederate Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk related to President James K. Polk?
Answer: Leonidas Polk was the second cousin of James K. Polk, the 11th President of the United States. Both men were born in North Carolina: Leonidas was born in Raleigh in 1806, and James was born in Mecklenburg County in 1795. Under President Polk’s leadership, the United States fought the Mexican War between 1846 and 1848, and acquired vast territories along the Pacific coast and in the Southwest.
