Anson G. McCook

Anson George McCook (October 10, 1835 – December 30, 1917) was an American military and political figure who served as Union Army colonel during the Civil War. In recognition of his service, in 1866, he was nominated and confirmed for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers. In civilian life, he was an attorney and three-term postbellum U.S. Congressman from New York. He was a member of the “Fighting McCooks,” one of America's most prolific military families during the Civil War. Early life and career McCook was born in Steubenville, Ohio on October 10, 1835, to Dr. John McCook and his wife Catherine. He was one of five brothers, all of whom would serve as officers in the Civil War. After receiving his education in the local public schools, McCook traveled via overland train in 1854 to California and spent several years on the Pacific Coast, mostly engaged in mining in California and what became Nevada. Upon his return to Ohio in 1859, he studied law in the family business, Stanton & McCook, and was admitted to the bar. However, he did not get to establish his own legal career as the Civil War erupted and McCook offered his services to the army, following President Abraham Lincoln's call for volunteers to put down the rebellion. Civil War