Joseph Alexander Cooper
| Joseph Alexander Cooper | |
|---|---|
Joseph Alexander Cooper
|
|
| Born |
November 25, 1823 Whitley County, Kentucky |
| Died | May 20, 1910 (aged 86) Stafford County, Kansas |
| Buried at | Knoxville National Cemetery, Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1847, 1861–66 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General Brevet Major General
|
| Unit | Fourth Tennessee Volunteers 1st Tennessee Infantry |
| Commands held |
6th Tennessee Infantry 1st Bde, 2nd Div, XXIII Corps 2nd Division, XXIII Corps |
| Battles/wars |
Mexican–American War American Civil War • Mill Springs (1862) • Stones River (1862–3) • Chickamauga (1863) • Knoxville Campaign (1863) • Resaca (1864) • Jonesborough (1864) • Nashville (1864) • Bentonville (1865) |
| Other work | Tennessee State Guard commander, politician, farmer |
Joseph Alexander Cooper (November 25, 1823 – May 20, 1910) was an American farmer, soldier, and civil servant. A Southern Unionist, he fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War, commanding units at Mill Springs, Stones River, Chickamauga, Franklin, Nashville, Bentonville, and in the Knoxville and Atlanta campaigns. He had achieved the rank of Brevet Major General by the time he was mustered out in early 1866.
After the war, Cooper commanded the Tennessee State Guard, a state militia organized by Governor William G. Brownlow to quell postwar violence across Tennessee. He served as an internal revenue agent during the 1870s before moving to Kansas, where he spent the final decades of his life.
Cooper was born on a farm in Whitley County, Kentucky, near Cumberland Falls. He was the son of John Cooper, a War of 1812 veteran, and Hester (Sage) Cooper. He and his parents moved to Campbell County, Tennessee, the following year, where they settled on a farm along Cove Creek, 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Jacksboro. Growing up in Campbell County, Cooper became a deacon in the Longfield Baptist Church in 1839, and married Mary J. Hutson in April 1846.
During the Mexican–American War, Cooper enlisted as a private in the 4th Tennessee Infantry in September 1847. He remained with this unit until he was mustered out in August 1848, having spent several months in Mexico City. After the war ended he returned to Campbell County, and was involved in farming. While not a major landholder, he nevertheless saw a threefold increase in his personal estate from 1850 to 1860.
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