GENERAL ALEXANDER McDOWELL McCOOK.

 

            HE WAS one of the fighting McCook family. His father and brothers, six of them, if I remember rightly, died in the war from wounds or disease. His brother Anson was shot in Mississippi by guerrillas, while, badly wounded, he was being conveyed in an ambulance across the country. General Alex. McCook always held Anson as the great man of the family. They were indeed a fighting family. The old father, past seventy years of age, was killed in trying to repel Morgan's raid.

            This special family were all Ohio men, and often in the late hours of a banquet General Alexander McDowell McCook would assure his fellow banqueters that he, personally, was the best Presbyterian that ever came from "Yaller" Creek. He was a West Point graduate, and when the war came he was assigned, a general of volunteers, to Gen. Don Carlos Buell's army, commanding his right wing. As is well known, a part of General Buell's army reached the battlefield of Pittsburg Landing at dusk after the first day's tremendous battle. It was there that General Buell said to General Grant :  "Did you not take too big a risk, General? A big river in your rear, an army of unknown strength in your front, and in case you were defeated only two little gunboats to carry your army across the river? Why you could not have crossed more than 40,000 men on those boats."

            And Grant replied : 'They would have been ample to cross all that would have wanted to cross in case I had been defeated."

            The regulars of Buell's army joined Grant's army on the second day's stubborn battle, which lasted until 4 p. m., before Beauregard's army was finally routed. McCook's corps reached the field about the time the final retreat began, and General Sherman wanted McCook to pursue the enemy, but McCook pleaded the fatigue of his men. General Sherman never quite forgave McCook for this. Shiloh was a real

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punctuation point in the war. Had General Albert Sidney Johnston lived four hours longer, what might have been??

            Had Grant who was after that battle practically retired, well-nigh dismissed, indeed, never been restored, what might have been ?

            Had the attack been made a day sooner, when Buell was too far away to help, what might have been? Surely "God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform."

            General McCook, with his single corps, fought and won the battle of Perryville. General Buell, with the main army, was three miles away. The battle began about 1 p. m., the object of the Federals being to hold possession of a stream, of the Confederates to gain possession of it. The battle lasted two hours, and the fighting was most sanguinary, but not a sound of it was heard by the main army only three miles away. When a messenger finally reached General Buell, he hurried to the scene, received from General McCook's lips an account of what he had done, at which General Buell warmly praised him for his splendid generalship.

            When the command went to General Rosecrans, General McCook retained his corps and took part in the furious battle of Stone River. At Chickamauga the corps was rolled back, as was the entire army, except the corps of General George H. Thomas, "the Rock of Chickamauga," by the fierce onsets of Bragg's army.

            After Chickamauga McCook was detailed on official business in Washington, where he remained for more than a year.

            McCook was in command five years at Fort Douglas, in Utah. He was a most thorough soldier, the most genial of men except when the authority of the United States was doubted : then the soldier was at the front in a moment. And he had some eccentricities. It was the custom in the summer for the regimental band to give public concerts every afternoon, and it became a habit for people of the city to drive up to the post to listen to the music. Some distinguished ladies and gentlemen from the East were present one afternoon, and were presented to the general. One of the ladies praised the performance of the band warmly and expressed the hope that it would

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play a certain piece of music which she named. The general at once sent word to the band-master to play the piece. He left his place, went to where the general was and explained that the music desired was unusual and difficult of performance, and further that he had no copies of the music. The general ordered him to the guard-house for not having the music, but finally rescinded the order upon the lady's earnest solicitation in behalf of the unfortunate musician.

            The general was wont to give receptions at the post, and many a Salt Laker remembers those receptions with much pleasure. The general and his officers, always in full uniform, received the guests who were royally entertained. McCook's punches still have a local reputation and name in Salt Lake City.

            His domestic affections absorbed his life. His first wife died soon after he reached Salt Lake. The foremost ladies of the city gathered at the hotel where she died and tendered their services, but he put them all gently aside, and would not permit one of them to even see his wife's dead face until he, unaided, had prepared and dressed her body for the grave.

            Before he left Utah he married a second wife, a most brilliant and accomplished lady. He was ordered to the command of the Department of the Platte, with headquarters at Denver, Colorado, and remained there until retired through the age limit.

            While stationed in Denver a Salt Lake friend went there to attend a three or four days' convention. He reached there after nightfall, and stopped at a hotel. The next morning as he went clown to the office, the General, with an orderly, was in waiting. After the greetings were over he asked for the key to the friend's room, which he had in his hand ; took it, looked at the number, and extending the key to the orderly said : "Go to parlor - -, get all the baggage that there is and any other little thing that you see, and take it to my rooms."

            Then turning to the friend, he said: "I want you; come along.

            They drove to the hotel where he was living, went straight to the elevator and up to his rooms. Opening the door he

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shoved the friend in and said : "My wife is back in Wisconsin visiting her mother. You shall have her bed. It is the finest bed in Denver, and now come here." He led the friend to a desk and opening it, said : 'There are half a dozen boxes of the finest brands of cigars this side of Havana. And now come here until I show you the "Fodder Stack." And opening a cabinet he displayed some ominous-looking bottles of various colors. "Now," said he, I am going to watch you ; and if you spend a cent while in Denver, I will have you court-martialed."

            Every morning he would prepare the bath, and then, as though talking to a reluctant boy, would say :

            "Come. No growling this morning. Jump up and have your bath. You have no idea how much better you will feel to have a hot bath and a cold shower. This cold water comes right out of the snow, and you will see it will feel just as ice cream tastes."

            When the Spanish war came he grieved exceedingly, and said : "I am retired for age, and that is right, but I was never better physically or mentally, and I do know better than some younger men how to take care of soldiers in camp and field."

            A little later he was in Ohio visiting friends, when he was seized with apoplexy, and in a few hours his soul went to join his old comrades of the Army of the Cumberland, the Army of the Tennessee all the royal souls that when the life of the nation was at stake interposed their breasts between their country and their country's foes.