POWER OF ATTORNEY
                         FOR EXECUTING FORMS 3, 4 AND 5

     Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and
appoints each of Joseph W. Bean and Rashda M. Buttar, signing singly, his/her
true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

     (1) execute for and on behalf of the undersigned Forms 3, 4 and 5 with
     respect to Patriot Coal Corporation in accordance with Section 16(a) of the
     Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder;

     (2) do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned
     which may be necessary or desirable to complete the execution of any such
     Form 3, 4 or 5 with respect to Patriot Coal Corporation and the timely
     filing of such form with the United States Securities and Exchange
     Commission and any other authority; and

     (3) take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the
     foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit
     to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the undersigned, it
     being understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on
     behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in
     such form and shall contain such terms and conditions as such
     attorney-in-fact may approve in his/her discretion.

     The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and
authority to do and perform all and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary and proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and powers
herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as such attorney-in-fact
might or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or
revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or
his/her substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be done by
virtue of this Power of Attorney and the rights and powers herein granted. The
undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in serving in
such capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not assuming any of the
undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934.

     This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the
undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued by Patriot Coal
Corporation, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing
delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to be
executed as of this 26th day of October 2007.


                                          /s/ Mark N. Schroeder
                                          -----------------------------------
                                          (Signature)

                                          Mark N. Schroeder
                                          -----------------------------------
                                          (Name Printed)