- William W. Cooke
William Winer Cooke (
May 29 ,1846 –June 25 ,1876 ) was a military officer in theUnited States Army during theAmerican Civil War and theBlack Hills War . He was theadjutant forGeorge Armstrong Custer and was killed during theBattle of the Little Bighorn .Overview
Cooke was born in Mount Pleasant,
Brant County ,Canada , to Alexander and Angeline Cooke. He attended the Brantford Collegiate School and the Central School inHamilton, Ontario .cite book|title=Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol I, 1791-1875)|first=Thomas Melville |last=Bailey|publisher=W.L. Griffin Ltd|year=1981] At the age of 14, he moved toBuffalo, New York , to continue his studies. After graduating from school, he enlisted in 1863 with the 24th New York Cavalry atNiagara Falls, New York , during the Civil War. After serving as a recruiting officer, he served on the front lines in the IX Corps, commanded byAmbrose Burnside . He was wounded during theSiege of Petersburg . After being released from the hospital, he served on commissary duty. He rose tofirst lieutenant onDecember 14 ,1864 , but did not return to front-line duty until March 1865. He was awarded brevet promotions tocaptain , major, andlieutenant colonel for his meritorious service during the war, the last his actions at theBattle of Sayler's Creek during theAppomattox Campaign .After the war, he immediately joined the 1st New York Provisional Cavalry and applied for a
Regular Army commission. He was made asecond lieutenant in theU.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment in July 1866, and was promoted tofirst lieutenant a year later atFort Harker in Kansas. In 1868, he participated in the Washita Campaign.In 1871, he became the regimental
adjutant under Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. Cooke became close friends withThomas Custer and was a member of the so-called "Custer Clan" or "Custer Gang", a close-knit group of Custer's friends and relatives. He was an excellent shot and one of the fastest runners of the regiment. Some of his troopers took a dislike to him and called him "The Queen's Own". He was known for his dundrearies, or long side whiskers, that he always wore.Little Big Horn
Cooke was killed at the
Battle of the Little Bighorn . His body was found close to his commander. He was the author of the famous "last message" toFrederick Benteen , carried byJohn Martin , that read: :::::"Benteen. Come On. Big village. Be quick. Bring packs. WW Cooke. P.S. Bring Packs."Cooke was initially interred on the battlefield. A memorial slab marks the approximate spot where he fell. In June 1877, he was reburied in the
Little Bighorn National Cemetery . In August of that year, his family had the remains disinterred again and reburied in the family's plot in the Hamilton Cemetery inHamilton, Ontario .cite book|title=Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol I, 1791-1875)|first=Thomas Melville |last=Bailey|publisher=W.L. Griffin Ltd|year=1981]The
Grand Army of the Republic [http://www.geocities.com/cancivwar/HamiltonGAR.html Post 472 "W. W. Cooke"] in Hamilton is named in Cooke's memory and honor.Notes
References
* [http://littlebighorn.darkcreek.com/2005/12/william-w-cooke.html Cooke Bio]
* Arnold, Steve, and French, Tim, "Custer's Forgotten Friend: the Life of W.W. Cooke, Adjutant, Seventh U.S. Cavalry", Powder River Press, 1993
* Connell, Evan, "Son of the Morning Star ", 1984, ISBN 0-06-097161-4
* Panzieri, Peter, "Classic Battles: Little Big Horn 1876", Osprey Publishing, 1995, ISBN 1-85532-458-XFurther reading
* Carroll, John M., "The Custer Autograph Album", Creative Publishing, 1994, ISBN 0-932702-97-X
* Cox, Kurt Hamilton, "Custer and His Commands: From West Point to Little Bighorn", Greenhill Book, 1999, ISBN 1-85367-358-7
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