of his class, and its youngest member. He studied with liis brother James, a surgeon in the Revolu- tionary army, at the soldiers' hospital in New York, and became one of the most distinguished surgeons in the country. He married Mary Austin Ledyard, and settled in Hartford, Conn. He was the first to introduce in tiie United States the operation of removing a cataract from the eye, and also the first to tie the carotid artery (1803). His daughter, Alice, became deaf and dumb from severe illness at an early age, and her father's at- tention was thus called to the possibility of edu- cating deaf-mutes. Mainly through his influence the first deaf-and-dumb asylum in the country, that at Hartford, was established in 1820, and Alice became its first pupil. He was also one of the founders of the Connecticut retreat for the insane at Hartford. He was for ten years president of the Connecticut medical society, one of the last survivors of the "old school," and persisted in wearing knee-breeches and silk stockings, which . he held to be the only proper dress for a gentleman.— His son. Mason Fitch, physician, b. in Hartford, Conn., 10 Nov., 1807; d. in Albany, N. Y., 21 Jan., 1865, was graduated at Yale in 1829, studied medicine, and became a leading physician in Albany. He served as assistant surgeon and surgeon in the volunteer army of the United States during the civil war. In 1847 he married Lydia, daughter of the Rev. John M. Bradford, a direct descendant from Gov. Bradford, of Plymouth colony. She died in 1872.
COGSWELL, Milton, soldier, b. in Noblesville,
Ind., 4 Dec, 1825; d. in Washington, D. C, 20
Nov., 1882. He was the first child of American
parentage born in Noblesville. After graduation
at the IJ. S. military academy in 1849, he joined
the army and served almost continuously until he
was placed on the retired list in 1871. This period
covered the civil war, in which he became colonel
of the 42d New York volunteers. He was severely
wounded, and held a prisoner for nearly a year.
After his retirement with the rank of brevet colo-
nel in the regular army for gallant services, he was
deputy governor of the soldier's home in Washing-
ton, and, with the exception of a yeai-'s interval,
held the office until his death.
COGSWELL, Thomas, soldier, b. in Haverhill,
Mass., 4 Aug., 174G ; d. in Gilmanton, N. H., 'S
Sept., 1810. He was one of a family of fourteen
sons and five daughters. Of the nine sons that
reached adult years, eight joined the Revolutionary
army. Thomas was captain of a company in Col.
Gerrish's regiment at Bunker Hill ; became major
of Vose's regiment, 21 Feb., 1777, and lieutenant-
colonel of the 15th Massachusetts regiment, 26
Nov., 1779. He was afterward wagon-master-
general, and served till the end of the war. After
national independence was secured, he settled on
a farm near Gilmanton, N. II., and became a
prominent citizen of the community, serving as a
judge in the court of common pleas from 1784 till
1810. He married Ruth, daughter of Gen. Joseph
Badger. — His son, Nathaniel, soldier, b. in Haver-
hill, Mass., 19 Jan., 1778 ; d. near the rapids of the
Red river, Louisiana, in August, 1813, was gradu-
ated at Dartmouth in 1794. He studied law, and,
after admission to the bar, travelled in Europe.
He had a strong desire for military life, of-
fered his services to the patriot army in Mexico,
and died holding a genei-al's commission. Two
other sons, Thomas and Francis, died in the mili-
tary service of the United States in the second war
with Great Britain. — William, a younger brother
of Thomas, surgeon, b. in Haverhill, Mass., 11
July, 1760; d. in Atkinson, N. IL, 1 Jan., 1831,
entered the army when fifteen years old in his
brother's company. Having served his term of
enlistment, he studied medicine and surgery, and
in 1778 I'e-enlisted for a short time under Gen.
Sullivan. On 19 July, 1781, he was appointed
surgeon's mate in the military hospital at West
Point, and on 5 Jan., 1784, promoted to surgeon-
in-chief of the hospital and chief medical officer
of the U. S. army. He resigned 1 Aug., 1785. He
was one of the founders of the New Hampshire
medical society and of Atkinson academy, giving
the land on which the academy was built.
COGSWELL, William, clergyman, b. in At- kinson, N. H., 5 June. 1787; d. in Gilmanton, N. H., 18 April, 1850. He received his early train- ing in the academy at Atkinson, and was gradu- ated at Dartmouth in 1811. While in college he taught school, and had Rufus Choate among his pupils. After graduation he taught for two years, pursuing his theological studies at the same time. In 1815 he was ordained to the ministry and in- stalled pastor of the South church in Dedham, Mass. In 1829 he was chosen general agent of the American education society, and resigned his pas- toral charge. In 1832 he became secretary of the society, which office he held for ten years, and in 1837 was chosen a trustee of Andover theological seminary. He was elected to the chair of national education and history at Dartmouth in 1841, and occupied it until 1844, when he resigned to accept the presidency and chair of Christian theology in Gilmanton, N. H., theological seminary. He re- ceived the degree of A. ]\I. from Harvard and from Brown in 1816, and that of D. D. from Williams in 1833. Dr. Cogswell edited the " New England Historical and Genealogical Register," the " New Hampshire Repository," and the " American Quar- terly Register." Besides his sermons, he published " A Manual of Theology and Devotion," " Assistant to Family Religion," " Christian Philanthropist," "Theological Class-Book," "Harbinger of the IMillennium," " Letters to Young Men preparing for the Ministry," " Reports of the American Edu- cation Society," and " Reports of the Northern Academy of Arts and Sciences."
COGSWELL, William, soldier and statesman,
b. in Bradford, Mass., 23 Aug., 1838 ; d. in Wasli-
ington, D. C, 22 May, 1895. He studied in Phil-
lips Andover academy and in Kimball Union acad-
emy, at Meridun, N. H. He entered Dartmouth
college, but soon went to sea before the mast, fol-
lowing the example of an elder brother. After
his return he was graduated at Harvard law-school
in 1860. In 1861 he raised the first company of
volunteers for the national cause in Alassachusetts.
He was regularly promoted until he became colonel
of the 2d Massachusetts infantry, and particii);ited
in many of the battles of the Army of the Poto-
mac, for which he was brevetted brigadier-general,
15 Dec, 1864. After the war he became a promi-
nent officer of the Grand army of the republic, and
served in the Massachusetts house and senate. Gen.
Cogswell was four times elected to congress.
COHEN, Jacob Da Silva Soils, physician, b. in New York city, 28 Feb., 1838. He was educated at the Philadelphia central high school, and, after attending medical lectures, received his diploma from the University of Pennsylvania in 1860. In 1858-'9 he lived in Memphis, Tenn. He was appointed assistant surgeon to the 26th Pennsylvania regiment in April, 1861, and in the same year became assistant surgeon in the navy. He accompanied Dupont's expedition to Port Royal, and remained in the South Atlantic blockading squadron
