Douglas Hancock Cooper

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Douglas Hancock Cooper

Douglas H. Cooper (* 1. November 1815 in Amite County , Mississippi ; † 29. April 1879 in Old Fort Washita , Oklahoma ) was a brigadier general of the Confederate in the Civil War .

Life

From 1832 to 1834, Cooper attended the University of Virginia . Among his fellow students were the later generals in the Civil War Posey , McLaws and Magruder . After graduation, Cooper went back to Mississippi and worked as a farmer in Wilkinson County . He entered politics and at the time married Mary Collins of Natchez , with whom he had seven children. In 1844 he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives as a Whigs member . He later applied twice for a seat in the State Senate, without success .

At the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846 he joined the army and served with the rank of captain . He was honored for his courage and bravery after the Battle of Monterrey .

In 1853, under the influence of Secretary of War Davis , with whom he had fought together in the Mexican War at the Battle of Buena Vista , President Pierce appointed Cooper as a federal agent for Indian affairs for the Choctaw people . Cooper managed to get the Indians peaceful to return to their territory. Three years later he also became an agent for the Chickasaw .

When the Civil War broke out, Cooper sided with the Confederate Army . He fought in the Battle of Round Mountain , in the Battle of Chusto-Talasah and was victorious in the Battle of Chustenahlah . In 1862 he led the troops in the battles of Elkhorn Tavern , Newtonia and Honey Springs . On May 2, 1863, he was appointed Brigadier General and on September 29, he was given command of Indian territory.

After the Civil War, Cooper resided in Indian Territory and helped the Choctaw and Chickasaw defend the land they had previously been awarded against continued land theft by federal authorities.

See also

literature

  • David J. Eicher: The Civil War in Books: An Analytical Bibliography , University of Illinois, 1997, ISBN 0-252-02273-4 .
  • Richard N. Current: Encyclopedia of the Confederacy (1993) (4 vol.) ( ISBN 0132759918 )
  • John H. Eicher & David J. Eicher: Civil War High Commands , Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3 .
  • Ezra J. Warner: Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders , Louisiana State University Press, 1959, ISBN 0-8071-0823-5 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Cooper, Douglas Hancock
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Confederate General in the American Civil War
DATE OF BIRTH November 1, 1815
PLACE OF BIRTH Amite County , Mississippi
DATE OF DEATH April 29, 1879
Place of death Old Fort Washita , Oklahoma