Douglas H. Cooper
Douglas Hancock Cooper | |
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Battle of Elkhorn Tavern - First Battle of Newtonia - Battle of Old Fort Wayne - Battle of Honey Springs - Battle of Fort Smith |
Douglas Hancock Cooper (November 1, 1815 – April 29, 1879) was an American politician, soldier, Indian Agent in what is now Oklahoma, and Confederate general during the American Civil War.
Early life and career
Cooper was born November 1, 1815, most likely in
Cooper returned home to operate "Mon Clova", his plantation in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. It was in Cold Springs, a tiny village between Woodville and Natchez. He married Mary Collins of Natchez and they had 7 children together.
Political career
Entering politics, Cooper represented Wilkinson County as a Whig in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1842 to 1844.[3]
Cooper supported the Mexican–American War; with many other Southerners, he believed that the US could gain territory for the expansion of slavery. He helped to raise a regiment, the 1st Mississippi Rifles. He served as a captain under the command of Colonel Jefferson Davis, participating in the battles of Monterrey and Buena Vista. He was cited for bravery and gallantry at the Battle of Monterrey.[1]
In 1853, through the influence of Jefferson Davis, who had been appointed as
In 1858, Cooper led a militia composed of Choctaw and Chickasaw volunteers against Comanche marauders in the territory.[1]
Prior to the Civil War, General Cooper was also a slave owner, holding eleven enslaved people in 1860 when he resided in the Tishomingo area of the Chickasaw Nation. After the Treaty of 1866 was signed abolishing slavery in the Chickasaw Nation, the people General Cooper enslaved were granted their freedom. Their descendants are still in Oklahoma and have been hosting family reunions for over 140 years.[5]
Civil War
With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Cooper pledged his allegiance to the
In 1862, Cooper led Confederate troops at the battles of
The Confederacy's collapse accelerated after General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox in 1865. The Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes surrendered in April 1865, and their troops returned home immediately. Cooper ordered the surrender of all white Confederate troops in Indian Territory in June, 1865. Afterward, he swore allegiance to the United States government, and was formally pardoned in April, 1866.[1]
Postbellum activities
After the war, Cooper continued to live in the Indian Territory and was an ardent supporter of Choctaw and Chickasaw land claims against the Federal government. He died of pneumonia on April 29, 1879, at Fort Washita (in what is now Bryan County, Oklahoma) and was buried in the old fort cemetery in an unmarked grave.[9]
Notes
- ^ The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture says that Cooper was born in Wilkinson County, Mississippi[1]
See also
References
- Eicher, John H., and ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
- Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
- ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.
- U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 70 volumes in 4 series. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Delashaw, Corie. "Cooper, Douglas Hancock (1815 - 1879)." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Accessed October 26, 2016.
- ^ "This Week in the Civil War: Douglas Hancock Cooper Biography." Civil War Week. August 28, 2011. Accessed October 26, 2016.
- ^ Rowland, Dunbar (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. p. 222.
- ^ Kidwell, Clara Sue (n.d.). "Choctaw". The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Walton-raji, Angela Y. (2020-01-28). "The African-Native American Genealogy Blog: Enslaved by the General---The Slaves of Gen. Douglas H. Cooper". The African-Native American Genealogy Blog. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ On this date in Civil War history - November 19, 1861 Battle of Round Mountain
- ^ On this date in Civil War history - December 9, 1861 Battle of Chusto-Talasah
- ^ On this date in Civil War history - The Battle of Chustenahlah Dec. 26, 1861
- ^ "This Week in the Civil War: Douglas Hancock Cooper biography." Civil War Week. August 28, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2013.