Land of Confusion: Philip St. George Cocke, CSA

[Battleline]

Brig. Gen. Philip St. George Cocke (b. 1809, d. 1861) After just eight months in Confederate service, Brig. Gen. Phillip St. George Cocke took his own life at “Belmead,” his estate in Powhatan County, Virginia, Dec. 26, 1861. A brigadier general for just over two months, the only documented reason for his suicide was “shattered in health and mind.” Born at “Bremo Bluff” in Fluvanna County, Virginia, April 17, 1809, Cocke had a military background. His father, John Cocke, was a major general of Tennessee volunteers in the War of 1812. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1832 (sixth in the class), but resigned his rank of brevet second lieutenant and adjutant of the 2nd Artillery in 1834 to manage his farming interests. That included plantations in Virginia and Mississippi. Cocke stood out in the farming field, receiving attention for his progressive methods. In 1852, he wrote Plantation and Farm Instruction. He served as president of the Virginia Agricultural Society from 1853-56. At the same time, he became interested in the Virginia Military Institute and served for nine years on the board of directors. Cocke was a member of the Advisory Council for the State of Virginia as it seceded from the United States. He was appointed brigadier general of state troops commanding the Frontier District at the Potomac River. His immediate superior, Robert E. Lee, commended Cocke’s defensive policy in front of a numerically superior enemy across the river. When the state troops were transferred into Confederate service, Cocke was commissioned a colonel in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States. He was serving as commander of Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard’s 5th Brigade at the Battle of Blackburn’s Ford, July 18, 1861, the repulse of Federal troops in the opening clash of the Manassas Campaign. He received the thanks of Beauregard for this action. His brigade was to play a major role in the proposed attack on Centreville, abandoned due to Federal movements leading to the campaign’s major battle. Cocke’s men were covering Ball’s Ford of Bull Run during First Manassas (Bull Run), July 21, 1861. Cocke also was given duties to oversee the small brigade of Col. Nathan “Shanks” Evans, which played a key role in detecting the Federal flanking movement on the left. Cocke felt slighted in Beauregard's official report of the Battle of Manassas, which reportedly led to his depression. In promotions of Oct. 21, 1861, Cocke was elevated to brigadier general in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States. At home for Christmas, a depressed Cocke committed suicide Dec. 26, 1861. He originally was buried at his plantation “Belmead,” but the body was moved in 1904 to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

Gil asked me to revisit this bio, done earlier by another writer. There is a lot of confusion around Cocke, primarily because there was a Philip St. George Cooke, also born in Virginia in 1809 and graduated in the Class of 1827 (at the age of 17?) who remained in Federal service during the war. Cooke was the one who had a Confederate general for a son (John Rogers Cooke) and another for a son-in-law (J.E.B. Stuart). I will admit that a lot of the prior bio is correct, but the closeness in names between the two generals, one letter separation of the many characters in each name, does present a major possibility for confusion.

[Battleline]

If the above isn't enough, there also was a Confederate brigadier from Georgia named Philip Cook!

[GShock]

They truly come alive thanks to these portraits and i love the bios, i am always reading and rereading them. Thinking of it....it basically takes me 6 months to have a normal beard it would take me 6 lifetime to have one such as his! [:)]

I'd really launch a contest on the most fascinating, the most "intricated" and finally, the most innovative for that period.

[Battleline]

The one good thing about Warner's books is that he has images of each of the generals. There are some very interesting beards and mustaches. Many look like they should be in the band (or at least the road crew) for ZZ Top.
I wonder if they would have had the beards if they had electric razors in those days. . .
Battleline

[Gil R.]

Copied, thanks.

[Gil R.]

Thanks for writing the two Philip St. George Co_ke bios and clearing all this up. I didn’t do much to this one, though I did import a little from Michael Jennings’s original bio and gave him partial credit, so that his work wouldn’t be in vain. (It was in the game for nearly two years, but still...)

One change that might need to be reversed is that the bio said that Evans’s brigade helped detect the Union flanking movement at 1st Manassas, but that as far as I know that was spotted by E.P. Alexander, and Evans’s role was in sending part of his brigade to respond, instead of keeping them at the Stone Bridge.

Brig. Gen. Philip St. George Cocke (b. 1809, d. 1861). After just eight months in Confederate service, Cocke took his own life at “Belmead,” his estate on the James River in Powhatan County, Virginia, on December 26, 1861. (The mansion, still extant, is considered one of the finest examples of Gothic-style residential architecture in the United States.) A brigadier general for just over two months, the only documented reason for his suicide was being “shattered in health and mind.” Born at “Bremo Bluff” in Fluvanna County, Virginia, on April 17, 1809, Cocke had a military background. His father, John Cocke, was a major general of Tennessee volunteers in the War of 1812. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1832 sixth in his class, but resigned his rank of brevet 2nd lieutenant and adjutant of the 2nd Artillery in 1834 to manage his farming interests. This included plantations in Virginia and Mississippi. Cocke stood out in the farming field, receiving attention for his progressive methods, writing “Plantation and Farm Instruction” in 1852, and serving as president of the Virginia Agricultural Society from 1853-56. At the same time, he became interested in the Virginia Military Institute and served for nine years on its board of directors. Cocke was a member of the Advisory Council for the State of Virginia when it seceded from the United States. He was appointed brigadier general of Virginia state troops commanding the Frontier District at the Potomac River. His immediate superior, Robert E. Lee, commended Cocke’s defensive policy in front of a numerically superior enemy across the river. When the state troops were transferred into Confederate service, Cocke was commissioned a colonel in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States. He saw some of the earliest action of the Civil War, serving as commander of Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard’s 5th Brigade at the Battle of Blackburn’s Ford on July 18, 1861, when Union troops testing the defenses at one point on the Bull Run creek were repulsed in the opening clash of the Manassas Campaign just three days before the Battle of 1st Bull Run. Cocke received the thanks of Beauregard for his performance during this action. Cocke’s brigade was to play a major role in the proposed attack on nearby Centreville, a plan that was abandoned due to enemy movements leading to the campaign’s major battle. In that battle, Cocke’s men were covering Ball’s Ford on the Bull Run, and thus saw little action until ordered into the climactic fighting on Henry House Hill. Cocke also was given duties to oversee the small brigade of Col. Nathan “Shanks” Evans, which played a key role in responding to the Federal flanking movement on the Confederate left. Cocke later felt slighted in Beauregard's official report of the battle, which reportedly led to his emotional problems. In promotions of October 21, 1861, Cocke was elevated to brigadier general in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States, but he would be dead two months later: at home for Christmas, a depressed Cocke committed suicide. He originally was buried at his plantation “Belmead,” but the body was moved in 1904 to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. (Cocke is not to be confused with Union Maj. Gen. Philip St. George Cooke, who commanded cavalry during the Peninsula Campaign.) (Bio by Bill Battle, with Michael Jennings)

Leadership: 4
Tactics: 4
Initiative: 3
Command: 3
Cavalry:

Start date: 19 [In July scenario should give him 0]
Death date: 23
Teaches: Organized (24), Chargers (13)