Civil War Letter - Elisha A. Cooke - August 1861

Civil War Letter from Elisha A. Cooke 

Oneonta Herald, Oneonta, NY, August 21, 1861

Albany, August 13th, 1861

Col. Carpenter:  I started from Laurens [Otsego Co. NY] the 7th inst. for this place [Albany] for the purpose of joining "The Peoples' Ellsworth Regiment."  About ninety reported themselves ready for duty at the same time and we were marched to the barracks.  Our number today is one hundred and twenty. We expect a large addition to our force on the 20th inst.  I am the only representative here from Otsego County.  I tried my best to get some of the boys to come with me, but they were afraid that they should not get half enough to eat, or else they would say there are soldiers enough without them, but if they were drafted, they would go willingly. But that is not the thing. It shows a want of pluck and backbone in our young men.  That they may know that we are not in a starving condition, I will give our bill of fare.  We have potatoes, hash, corned beef, bread and butter and a plenty of good coffee for breakfast. We have pork and beans, beets, bread and butter for dinner. Supper the same as breakfast except we have tea in place of coffee. This is our living every day, except Wednesday and Sundays when we have rice pudding and fresh beef for dinner.  Our bread is as good as any woman can make in Otsego or any other county.

Why will not the boys of Otsego join "The Peoples' Ellsworth Regiment?"  Have they not got any patriotic blood running in their veins? Nay do not teach me to believe it to be so.  I do yet believe there is patriotism in the young men of Otsego County and that they will yet join us in our Regiment, if they do not believe the officers of the Association take all the town funds and put it in their own pockets for their trouble.  I can assure such that they do not.  Mr. Hughes made a speech in the city hall and he said that the officers should not have one cent. As for himself, he was staying here this summer for the purpose of getting up this Regiment, and he was on his own expense.

Now I wish you would try to stir up a little feeling on this subject in your town and surrounding towns. Do not let Otsego falter in this glorious cause.  As for me, I have confidence in this cause.  So great is my confidence in it, that I will not take a look towards old Otsego, until every rebel in secession marches to the tune of "Hail Columbia."  Our boys are the finest lot of fellows I ever saw together. They are men in every sense of the word. We have printers, engineers, carpenters, blacksmiths, farmers and lawyers, Therefore you see we are independent of any and everybody. Their motto is to Richmond through Baltimore and death to traitors.

Yours in haste.  Elisha A. Cooke

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Adjutant General Report - 44th NY Infantry (Ellsworth Avengers)

Elisha A. Cook:  Age 20 years.  Enlisted Aug. 8, 1861 at Albany to serve three years; mustered in as private, Co. B, August 30, 1861; promoted sergeant, September 20, 1861; wounded in action July 1, 1862, at Malvern Hill, Va.; discharged for disability, November 26, 1862, at hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.

News Item:  Oneonta  Herald, Oneonta, NY, August 28, 1884

Mr. Elisha A. Cooke of Garden Prairie, Ill. is visiting friends and relatives in the east.  Mr. Cooke is a native of Laurens and was one of that town's contributions during the late war to the 44th Regiment N.Y. Vols., better known as the Ellsworth Memorial Regiment.  Mr. Cooke has concealed somewhere in his person a leaden souvenir of the battle of Malvern Hill, which engagement ended his career in the field.  He is married, is prosperous, and enjoys life upon his prairie farm.

Obituary, Feb. 3, 1920, Republican -Northwestern, Belvidere, IL

Elisha A. Cook, who died Wednesday afternoon at 1:20 o'clock [Jan. 20, 1920] at the family home, 628 Julien Street, was born in the town of [Laurens] Otsego County, N.Y., March 20, 1841.  His parents were Chauncey and Lovina (Andrews) Cook of New York State.  They died in Otsego County, the former at the age of 61 and the latter at the age of 30.  His grandparents were Holden and Ruth (Joslyn) Cook, who were form Rhode Island.  His grandparents on his mother's side were Eleazor and Daphne (Goodale) Andrews, who were from Vermont.

E.A. Cook enlisted at the age of 20 years at Albany, N.Y. in Company B, 44th N.Y. infantry, August 8, 1861, and served until November 1862.  He was wounded at Malvern Hill and was on the battlefield a week. Afterward he was sent to Libby prison and after getting out was in a hospital four months.  Following the siege of Yorktown and the battles of Hanover Court House, Gaines Mills and many skirmishes, he was mustered out for disability Nov. 26, 1862.

February 20, 1864, he came to Boone County, Illinois and worked by the month for three years.  Afterwards he bought a farm and acquired much property.  He was married February 18, 1866, to Miss Sarah J. Hoppen of Holman, Dearborn County, Indiana.  He was a Republican in politics and cast his fist vote for General U.S. Grant.  He held local county offices for years being commissioner of highways and member of the school board in Bonus.  He was also a member of Hurbut Post, G.A.R.  Mr. Cook came of old English stock and his ancestors fought on the side of this country in the wars of the Revolution and 1812.  The funeral services will be held on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at the home. The G.A.R. will be in charge.

Vital Records, Otsego (1873) & Chenango (1879) Counties, NY

 Morris Chronicle, Morris, NY, February 5, 1873

Marriages

On the 21st inst. at Oneonta [Otsego Co. NY] by W.N. Cobb, Mr. Joseph P. Kinney of Otsego [Otsego Co. NY] to Miss Isabell N. Stanhouse of Burlington [Otsego Co. NY]

At Otsego [Otsego Co., NY] on the 13th inst., by rev. H. Garlick, Mr. Charles M. Coates to Miss Ella Scott both of Schuyler's Lake [Otsego Co. NY].

Deaths

In Morris [Otsego Co. NY] Jan. 23d, William J. Stewart, Jr., aged 29 years and 6 months.

In New Lisbon [Otsego Co. NY] Jan. 30th, Emma Gertrude [Wing] wife of Albert H. Wing, aged 22 years and 10 months.

In Cooperstown [Otsego Co. NY] Jan. 30th, Arthur [Murdock] youngest child of B.F. and J. Murdock, aged 8 years and 3 months.

R.P. Green and wife, who were buried at Sidney [Delaware Co. NY] have been removed to Brookside Cemetery [Butternuts, Otsego Co. NY] The labor was done by Henry Jackson and John Bedient for $40.00.

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In South New Berlin [Chenango Co. NY] Jan. 27th, Wells Eley Sergeant aged 64 years.

He was a kind faithful husband and father, a sincere honest Christian, respected by all who knew him.  May God bless his sorrow-stricken widow and children.  He has gone over the river to meet loved ones gone before.

There's a beautiful land where the angels dwell, / And our loved ones are garnered forever, / Where songs of deliverance in full anthems swell, / Where sorrows ne'er come, their joys to dispel; / It is only across the river.

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Under the shadow of deep affliction, with a sense of loss that cannot be expressed, says the Albany Journal we have to announce the death at his residence in this city [Albany, Albany Co. NY] Jan. 27th, of Luther Tucker, the senior editor and proprietor of the Country Gentleman. He had gone little beyond the Psalmist's limit of three score years and ten, and with a life of less constant exertion might perhaps have looked forward to additional years of repose; but close and continuous application from a very early period had worn upon a constitution naturally not roust, and when his last illness came, his friends were sadly apprehensive of the issue of the conflict.  He had been at the office on the 15th for several hours, although not very well or strong and on the morning of the 16th found himself too ill to leave his bed.  Inflammation of the lungs followed, attended at the last by defective and irregular action of the heart, and when the fever left him, his strength gradually failed. It became more and more difficult to administer either medicine nor nourishment, and finally at an early hour on Sunday morning, so quiet that his last breath could scarcely be detected by those around his bedside, he entered into the rest of the unending Sabbath beyond the grave.  he was in the 71st year of his age.

Bainbridge Republican, Bainbridge, NY, September 19, 1879

Marriages

One of our old friends and fellow travelers in the band of single blessedness hath passed into a happy Benedict.  Elisha Warren was married last evening (Thursday) to Mrs. Julia Holcomb, both of Bainbridge [Chenango Co. NY].  We extend to them our hearty congratulations.

Guilford, Chenango Co. NY:  The many friends of H.R. Brown and wife gave them a real surprise on Monday evening, it being the tenth anniversary of their marriage.  After visiting their residence and leaving a number of rich and costly presents, they went to Erkson's Hall carrying their refreshments, where Wescott's band was in attendance, and a more enjoyable time was never had.

Death

SCOTT:  In Masonville [Delaware Co. NY] Sept. 15th, Orpha P. Scott, aged 72 years. 

Masonville, Delaware Co. NY:  Mrs. Scott, mother-in-law to Mr. A. Gardner and M.P. Shaw, died at the latter's residence Sunday evening.

ROGERS:  Ethan Rogers died at his residence in the town of Preston [Chenango Co. NY] August 20th, in the 84th year of his age.  He was one of the pioneers of his town, and a man much respected by the community in which he so many years resided.

WILLIAMS:  Mr. Joseph W. Williams the elder son of Aaron Williams of Binghamton [Broome Co. NY] and who for many years has held a high position int he financial department of Cornell, died very suddenly Thursday, in Chicago, where he had been visiting for the past three weeks.  He had been for some time a sufferer from inflammatory rheumatism and a few days ago wrote home that he had taken cold and that he had thought best to prolong his visit. The remains were taken to Binghamton for interment.

News Item

A very happy and pleasant reunion of the Winsor Family took place Tuesday the 16th inst. at the residence of G.H. Winsor, this village [Bainbridge, Chenango Co. NY].  The first reunion of this family occurred in January 1862, on the eve of the enlistment of Samuel Winsor, one of the brothers, in the Union army, a soldier of which he died in 1863.  The reunions have been kept up since that time by the surviving members of the family. Those present on this occasion were, Ziba Winsor, Norwich; George H. Winsor, Bainbridge; Epp Winsor, Guilford; Otis Winsor, Greene; Mrs. Roxana Bowen, Norwich; Mrs. David Wescott, Utica. The eldest one present is 69 years old, and the youngest one 51 years.