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Benjamin F. Cook Letters, 1860-1865

By Ian Woolsey and Anne Bahde

Collection Overview

Title: Benjamin F. Cook Letters, 1860-1865

Predominant Dates: 1860-1865

ID: MSS CookBF

Primary Creator: Cook, Benjamin F. (1833-1915)

Extent: 0.25 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The collection consists of 2 series: Series 1: Letters, 1860-1865 and Series 2: Service Papers, 1864-1865.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

This collection is comprised of approximately 150 letters sent by soldier Benjamin Cook to his wife Julia during his service in the Union Army in the Civil War. His letters provide a first-hand account of certain battles and events in the Civil War and detail his life and concerns as a soldier.

This collection has been digitized; reference scans are available upon request. Due to the age and fragility of these materials, researchers are encouraged to use the digital copies. Transcripts of letters in Box-folder 1.1 are also available upon request.

Scope and Content Notes

The letters in this collection were written and sent by Benjamin F. Cook to his wife Julia from various locations throughout the Northeast and South as Cook served with the 12th Massachusetts Volunteers in the Civil War. The letters date from his time before the Civil War while serving in the state militia, and run through the end of the war. Handwritten in pencil or ink, Cook's letters vary in length from a single scrap of paper to several pages. The correspondence is fairly regular throughout the war years, though there are long periods of time when letters were not sent, either due to a planned leave of absence or unknown circumstances.

Cook details the trials of a soldier's daily life in the Civil War, including limited resources such as clothing and food. He describes political situations within his company, as well as relationships between the soldiers, including incidents of disobedience and punishment, fighting and petty arguments, and theft. He frequently requests his wife to send him needed supplies, including new clothes, paper, and shoes. The letters show the misery and monotony of life at the front, including complaints about the weather, trouble sleeping, illness, late pay, and idly sitting waiting for something to happen. He reports to his wife on troop movements, skirmishes with Rebels, battle strategy, and troop plans. He continuously expresses a longing for home and family, asking for more letters from his wife, and trying to participate in home life by giving advice on the raising of children and spending of money. The end of the war is a frequent subject of speculation in the letters, and Cook vacillates between expressing confidence and fear, good spirits and depression, eagerness to fight the enemy and the overwhelming desire to run away.

Letters of note include a description of the Battle of Antietam (Box-Folder 1.4, Item 9), comments on black regiments (Box-Folder 1.3, Item 3), an encounter with a conscientious objector (Box-Folder 1.5, Item 26), and letters written from the battlefield (Box-Folder 1.6, Items 16-18).

This collection has been digitized; reference scans are available upon request. Due to the age and fragility of these materials, researchers are encouraged to use the digital copies.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Benjamin F. Cook was born January 1, 1833 in Boston, Massachusetts to Jeremiah and Harriet Cook. He married Julia Franklin Friend in 1853, and had five children with her. After serving in the state militia, at age 28 Cook joined the Union Army, serving as a Lieutenant 1st class in Company K, 12th Infantry Regiment as of April 1861. He was commissioned as Captain of Company E in 1862, promoted to provost marshal of the Second Division of the First Corps in 1863; promoted again to Major of the Twelfth Regiment in 1863; then promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1864. Cook saw 21 battles, including Antietam, Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. After the Civil War, he was elected to the House of Representatives and served on committees on printing and railroads. In 1886, 1887, and 1888 he was elected to the Senate and served with distinction on the committees for fisheries and game, mercantile affairs, federal relations, and soldier compensation. He also edited the History of the Twelfth Massachusetts Volunteers (Webster Regiment). An active Republican for life, he served three terms as mayor of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and participated in the G. A. R., the Sons of Veterans, and other orders. He died September 3, 1915 in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Biographical Note

Note:  The non-authorized form of this name is being used in the local (Archon) version of this finding aid.  The LC authorized form of the name -- Cook, Benjamin Fl., 1835- or 1836- -- is used in the Archives West version of the finding aid and the catalog record.  A request will be submitted to cataloging to submit changes for this name to LC.

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 1 box

Statement on Access: The collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: Purchased in 2015

Related Materials: The small U.S. Civil War Collection contains materials generated by both North and South. The Duke University David Rubenstein Library holds Benjamin F. Cook's diary for the years 1862-1863.  The Peabody Essex Museum holds a small file of Cook's personal papers.

Preferred Citation: Benjamin F. Cook Letters (MSS CookBF), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information:

We acknowledge that materials in SCARC collections and the language that describes them may be harmful.  We are actively working to address our descriptive practices; for more information please see our SCARC Anti-racist Actions Statement online.

Please be aware that some of the content in the Benjamin F. Cook Letters may be disturbing or activating; racist, derogatory language is used toward African Americans in the letters. We acknowledge the racism represented by this language and the harm it may cause our users. Providing access to these historical materials does not endorse any attitudes or behavior depicted therein.

[Date of acknowledgement: April 2023]

Creators

Cook, Benjamin F. (1833-1915)

People, Places, and Topics

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns--Personal narratives.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 12th (1861-1864)


Box and Folder Listing