committee of seven that drafted that instrument.
He possessed a vigorous and penetrating mind,
and has been called " the model of lofty courtesy,
chivalry, and generosity." — His brother, Philip St. George, soldier, b. near Leesburg, Va., 13
June, 1809 ; d. in Detroit Mich., 20 March, 1895.
He entered the U. S. military academy, where he
was graduated in 1827, and was assigned to the
Gth infantry. He was stationed for many years
on the frontier, and in the Black Hawk war was
adjutant of his regiment at the battle of Bad
Axe River, 2 Aug., 1832. He became first lieu-
tenant in the 1st dragoons on 4 March, 1833, and
captain on 31 May, 1835. He escorted a party of
Santa Fe traders to the Arkansas river in 1843,
and on 30 June of that year captured a Texan
military expedition. During the Mexican war he
commanded a Missouri volunteer battalion in Cali-
fornia from 1846 till 1847, and in 1848 a regiment
in the city of Mexico, having been promoted to
major on 16 Feb., 1847, and brevetted lieutenant-
colonel on 20 Feb., for his conduct in California.
Afterward he was engaged in various Indian expe-
ditions, commanding the cavalry in the action at
Blue Water, 3 Sept., 1855. He commanded in Kan-
sas during the troubles there in 1856-'7, perform-
ing that delicate duty to the satisfaction of all,
and was at the head of the cavalry in the Utah
expedition of l857-'8, becoming colonel of the 2d
dragoons on 14 June, 1858. In 1859 he prepared
a new system of cavalry tactics, which was adopt-
ed for the service in November, 1861 (revised ed.,
1883). In June, 1861, Col. Cooke published a let-
ter in which he declared that he owed allegiance
to the general government rather than to his na-
tive state of Virginia. He was promoted to briga-
dier-general on 12 Nov., 1861, and commanded all
the regular cavalry in the Army of the Potomac
during the peninsular campaign, particularly in the
siege of Yorktown, and the battles of Williamsburg,
Gaines's Mills, and Glendale. He sat on courts-mar-
tial in 1862-'3, commanded the Baton Rouge dis-
trict till 1864, and till 1866 was general superin-
tendent of the recruiting service. He was at the
head of the Department of the Platte in 1866-'7,
of that of the Cumberland in 1869-70, and of the
Department of the Lakes from 1870 till 1873. On
29 Oct., 1873, he was placed on the retired list,
having been in active service more than forty-five
years. Gen. Cooke published " Scenes and Ad-
ventures in the Army" (Philadelphia, 1856), and
" The Conquest of New Mexico and California ; an
Historical and Personal Narrative" (1878). His
daughter married Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, the Con-
federate cavalry leader. — John Rogers's son, Philip Pendleton, poet, b. in Martinsburg, Va., 26 Oct.,
1816; d. 20 Jan., 1850, was graduated at Princeton
in 1834, and studied law with his father. Before
he was of age he had begun practice. He had little
partiality for his profession, and devoted himself
to literature and to field sports, of which he was
very fond. Before his death he was famous as the
greatest huntsman in the Shenandoah valley. He
published several poems in the "Knickerbocker
magazine " at an early period, and became a con-
tributor to the " Southern Literary Messenger " on
its establishment. Mr. Cooke was stately and im-
pressive in manner, and a brilliant talker. His
only publication in book-form was " Froissart Bal-
lads, and other Poems" (Philadelphia, 1847). At
the time of his death he was publishing serially a
romance entitled " Chevalier Merlin." His short
lyrics, " Florence Vane," " To My Daughter Lily,"
and " Rosa Lee," were very popular. The first
named has been translated into many languages,
and has been set to music by celebrated composers.
Among his tales are " Johrt Carpe," " The Crime of
Andrew Blair," and " The Gregories of Hackwood."
— Another son, John Esten, author, b. in Winches-
ter, Va., 3 Nov., 1830; d. near Boyce, Clarke co.,
Va., 27 Sept., 1886, left school at sixteen, studied
law with his father, and, after practising about
four years, devoted himself to literature. He en-
tered the Confederate army at the beginning of
the civil war, and served first as a private in the
artillery and afterward in the cavalry, being en-
gaged in nearly all the battles in Virginia, most of
the time as a member of Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's
staff. At Lee's surrender he was inspector-general
of the horse-artillery of the Army of Northern Vir-
ginia. His writings relate almost entirely to Vir-
ginia, and describe the life, manners, and history
of the people of that state. His war -books are
records of personal observation and opinion. In
a letter written a few months before his death Mr.
Cooke says : " I still write stories for such periodi-
cals as are inclined to accept romance, but whether
any more of my work in that field will appear in
book-form is uncertain. Mr. Howells and the other
realists have crowded me out of popular regard as
a novelist, and have brought the kind of fiction I
write into general disfavor. I
do not complain
of that, for they
are right. They
see. as I do, that
fiction should
faithfully reflect life, and
they obey the
law, while I can
not. I was born
too soon, and am
now too old to
learn my trade
anew. But in
literature, as in
everything else,
advance should
still has no right
to complain if
An image should appear at this position in the text. A high-res raw scan of the page is available. To use it as-is, as a placeholder, edit this page and replace "{{missing image}}" with "{{raw image|Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/762}}". If it needs to be edited first (e.g. cropped or rotated), you can do so by clicking on the image and following the guidance provided. [Show image] |
he is left behind. Besides, the fires of ambition are burned out of me, and I am serenely happy. My wheat-fields are green as I look out from the porch of the Briers, the corn rustles in the wind, and the great trees give me shade upon the lawn. My three children are growing up in such nurture and admonition as their race has always deemed fit, and I am not only content, but very happy, and much too lazy to entertain any other feeling toward my victors than one of warm friendship and sincere approval." His publications include "Leather Stocking and Silk," a story (New York, 1854) ; " The Virginia Comedians " (2 vols., 1854) ; " The Youth of Jefferson," based on the letters of that statesman (1854) ; " Ellie," a novel (Richmond, Va., 1855) ; " The Last of the Forest- ers " (New York, 1856) ; " Henry St. John, Gentle- man ; a Tale of 1774-'5," sequel to the " Come- dians " (1859); " Life of Stonewall Jackson " (Richmond, 1863 ; enlarged ed.. New York, 1876) ; "Surry of Eagle's Nest," a picture of military in- cidents in the Confederate cavalry, in auto-bio- graphical form, purporting to be " from MS. of Col. Surry " (New York, 1866) ; " Wearing of the Gray " (1867) ; " Mohun, or the Last Days of Lee and his Paladins," sequel to the foregoing (1868) ;