Philip St. George Cocke
| Philip St. George Cocke | |
|---|---|
Philip St. George Cocke, 1850s
|
|
| Born |
April 17, 1809 Bremo Bluff, Virginia, US |
| Died | December 26, 1861 (aged 52) Powhatan County, Virginia, USA |
| Buried at | Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1832–1834 (USA) 1861 (CSA) |
| Rank |
 Second Lieutenant (USA) Brigadier General (VA Volunteers) Brigadier General (CSA) |
| Unit | 2nd U.S. Artillery |
| Commands held |
19th Virginia Infantry 5th Brigade - Army of the Potomac |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Other work | Board of Visitors of the Virginia Military Institute |
Philip St. George Cocke (April 17, 1809 – December 26, 1861) was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the first year of the American Civil War. He is best known for organizing the defense of Virginia along the Potomac River soon after the state's secession from the Union. He commanded troops in the Battle of Blackburn's Ford and the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) in July 1861 before becoming despondent and committing suicide.
Philip St. George Cocke was born at Bremo Bluff in Fluvanna County, Virginia. His father, John Hartwell Cocke, had been an officer in the United States Army during the War of 1812.
Cocke graduated from the University of Virginia in 1828 and then from the United States Military Academy in 1832 with the rank of brevet second lieutenant. He was soon assigned as second lieutenant to an artillery unit in Charleston, South Carolina. He served there during 1832 and 1833, becoming adjutant of the 2nd U.S. Artillery on July 13, 1833.
On April 1, 1834, Cocke resigned from the military and became a cotton planter in Powhatan County, Virginia and in Mississippi. He married Sallie Elizabeth Courtney Bowdoin on June 4, 1834.
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