War and its Heroes/General Samuel Cooper

GENERAL SAMUEL COOPER

GENERAL SAMUEL COOPER.

The world has seen but one Cæsar and one Napoleon, nor is it probable that it will see another of either for ten centuries to come. Yet, when armies are already organized, and provided with all the weapons and munitions of war, there will always be found generals to lead them with, at least, tolerable ability. To originate armies out of the mass of a population unused to the stern discipline of the camp—to create the munitions of war out of literally nothing—to form soldiers out of a population brave indeed, but undisciplined and impatient of restraint—this is a task quite as difficult as to lead them to victory after they have been once organized. The mind that accomplishes this is, at least as rare as the mind that conceived the battle of Pharsalia, or that planned the overthrow of the Russians and Austrians at Austerlitz.

Carnot possessed this faculty in a high degree, and so does the illustrious general, whose services it is the purpose of this sketch to illustrate. It is proper to remark, that the task accomplished by Carnot was much easier than that accomplished by General Cooper. The former had an army of 150,000 regular troops, which had been employed by the King, and which had all come over to the Republic, to begin with. This body afforded a nucleus around which the new levies might be formed into an army, and many of France's most illustrious soldiers came out of its ranks. The latter had no advantage of the sort. He was obliged to create all—army, artillery, small arms, horses, the means of feeding the men, every thing in fact—for we were utterlu destitute of every thing, and we had neither money to buy, nor access to the proper markets, if we had had it. To the amazement of the whole world, and to the amazement of no portion of it so profoundly as to the Yankees, a powerful army was created, was led to the field, and has been constantly victorious ever since. It is one of the miracles of history, and the credit of having wrought it is due more to General Cooper than to all other persons combined.

General Cooper is a native of the State of New York. He was born in the year 1798, and in 1813, when only fifteen years old, entered the Military Academy at West Point. The period of study was not so long at that time as it is now, so that he graduated in 1815, and received his commission of second lieutenant of light artillery, by brevet, on the 11th of December of that year. He became second lieutenant in 1817, and when, in 1821, the army was reorganized, he was retained in the rank he then held. He became first lieutenant, during the same year, of the Third Artillery, and, in 1824, was transferred to the Fourth. In 1828, he became aide-de-camp to General Macomb, and continued to serve in that capacity until 1830. In 1831, he was appointed captain, by brevet, "for faithful service ten years in one grade." In 1836, he became a full captain. In 1847, he was made brevet major of the staff (assistant adjutant-general), and, in 1848, brevet colonel of the staff, "for meritorious conduct," particularly in the performance of his duties in the prosecution of the Mexican war. In 1852, General Cooper, whose peculiar talent had become widely known to the army and the public, was appointed adjutant-general of the United States. Into that office, he was brought directly and continually into contact with the present President of the Confederate States, when Secretary of War to the United States. Doubtless President Davis soon discovered his extraordinary qualifications for that office, if he was ignorant of them before. The consequences were most beneficial to the country. General Cooper, whose political principles had long been well known, resigned his office three days after the inauguration of Lincoln (7th March, 1861). He immediately offered his services to President Davis, and, on the 16th of March, was appointed Adjutant-General of the Confederate States. He found a Herculean task before him. An army was to be created, furnished with every thing, and taught to fight. How ably he has accomplished his task let the noble army now in the field and the proud military attitude of the country testify.

General Cooper is the compiler of a work on tactics, designed for the use of the militia of the United States. It is highly spoken of by those who are acquainted with the subject of which it treats. He is the highest in rank of all our generals.