William Ruffin Cox
| William R. Cox | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
March 11, 1831 or 1832 Scotland Neck, North Carolina |
| Died | December 26, 1919 (aged 87) Edgecombe County, North Carolina |
| Allegiance |
 Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1861-65 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier general
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work |
U.S. congressman Secretary of the Senate |
William Ruffin Cox (March 11, 1831 or 1832 – December 26, 1919) was an American soldier and politician from the state of North Carolina. He was a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, a three-term member of the United States House of Representatives from 1881 to 1887, and Secretary of the United States Senate from 1893 to 1900.
William R. Cox was born in Scotland Neck, Halifax County, North Carolina, to an aristocratic family that lived in North Carolina since the colonial days. His father died when Cox was only four years old. His mother and his siblings subsequently moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he was raised and educated. He graduated from Franklin College in Franklin, Tennessee and studied at the Lebanon Law School. After passing his bar exam, Cox formed a partnership with a prominent Nashville attorney, and his practice flourished.
In 1857, Cox ceased his practice, married, moved back to North Carolina, and owned a plantation in Edgecombe County. Two years later, he moved to Raleigh and entered politics, running as a Democrat for the state legislature. He was narrowly defeated, losing a hard-fought election by just thirteen votes in his district.
With North Carolina's secession and the outbreak of the Civil War in early 1861, Cox raised and outfitted the "Ellis Artillery Company." He soon afterwards raised an infantry company and was appointed as the major of the 2nd North Carolina by Governor Ellis. He fought in the Battle of Antietam, and was given a promotion to lieutenant colonel, as he and the officer previously holding that rank were promoted with the death of the regiment's first colonel, Charles C. Tew, in that battle. Not long afterwards, the new colonel resigned and Cox assumed command of the veteran regiment. He was formally commissioned as the colonel of the 2nd North Carolina in March 1863. In May of that year, Cox was wounded three times in the fighting at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Despite his painful wounds, he stayed in command until late in the fighting when exhaustion forced him to retire to a field hospital to be treated.
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