Edwin Stanton McCook (March 26, 1837 – September 11, 1873) was an American soldier and politician. A Union Army officer during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and a postbellum politician in the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

, he was

assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

in office while serving as acting governor on September 11, 1873.

Biography

One of a famous family of Civil War officers, the "

Fighting McCooks The Fighting McCooks were members of a family of Ohioans who reached prominence as officers in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Two brothers, Daniel and John McCook, and thirteen of their sons were involved in the army, making the fam ...

," he was born in

Carrollton, Ohio Carrollton is a village in Carroll County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 3,087 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area. History The village was established as "Centreville" ...

, a son of

Daniel McCook Daniel McCook (June 20, 1798 – July 21, 1863) was an attorney and an officer in the Union army during the American Civil War. He was one of two Ohio brothers who, along with 13 of their sons, became widely known as the “Fighting McCook ...

. He was educated at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, and was a member of the Naval Lodge #69 of the

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. When the Civil War erupted, McCook recruited a company and joined the

31st Illinois Infantry The 31st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, nicknamed the "Dirty-First," was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 31st Illinois Infantry was organized at Jacksonville, Illinois and must ...

, serving under his friend, Col. John A. Logan. He saw action in the battles of Fort Henry and

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

, where he was severely wounded. He was later assigned to command Logan's brigade when the latter assumed division command. By the

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaigns were a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi ...

, McCook had again been promoted to replace Logan as division commander, leading it during the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

under

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

. In 1864, he served with distinction in the

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

and Atlanta campaigns and in the March to the Sea under

William T. Sherman William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

. He was severely wounded three separate times but survived the war. On January 13, 1866,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

nominated McCook for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. On April 16, 1867, the United States Senate confirmed McCook's nomination for appointment to the grade of brevet major general of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865.

Political career

After the war, he moved out west and was named as Secretary of the Dakota Territory in 1872. McCook was appointed acting governor of Dakota Territory in spring 1873 to replace the corrupt John A. Burbank.

Death

On September 11, 1873, McCook was shot and killed by Peter P. Wintermute, a banker and political adversary, at a public meeting being held in at the St. Charles Hotel (site of the present Charles Gurney Hotel) in Yankton, Dakota Territory. Wintermute was upset with McCook's stance in the Dakota Southern Railroad dispute.

Trial

However, the actual shooting erupted after a personal slight: Wintermute asked McCook for a cigar and was refused, after which Wintermute felt insulted and challenged McCook to a fight; McCook, large and well-built, laughed at Wintermute, who was described as being of small build. Wintermute then declared that he could shoot McCook, who responded by reportedly punching him, tossing him around, and rubbing his face in the contents of a

spittoon A spittoon (or spitoon) is a receptacle made for spitting into, especially by users of Chewing tobacco, chewing and dipping tobacco. It is also known as a cuspidor (which is the Portuguese language, Portuguese word for "spitter" or "spittoon", ...

. Wintermute declared he would get even, borrowed a pistol from a friend, and shot McCook four times in the chest at close range as he returned from washing his hands. McCook was reportedly able to still attack Wintermute, and needed to be restrained so medical care could be provided; he died the following day from blood loss. Wintermute was tried, convicted and sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter, but obtained a new trial and was acquitted in

Vermillion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide). It is synonymous with red orange, which often takes a modern ...

Mike Gudensohn, "1873 Slaying Caused Stir in Territory. Giant General Laughed at Tiny Banker Then Perished, Shot 4 Times in Chest," The Bismarck Tribune, February 28, 1961.due to the chaotic and confusing chain of events.

Burial

McCook was buried in

Spring Grove Cemetery Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. At a size of 733 acres (2.97 km2), it is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverto ...

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, along with several other members of the famed family. His grave can be located in Section 10, Lot 1.

Honors

McCook County, South Dakota McCook County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,682. Its county seat is Salem. The county was established in 1873, and was organized in 1878. It was named for the former governor of the ...

, is named for him.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Whalen, Charles and Barbara, ''The Fighting McCooks: America's Famous Fighting Family'', Westmoreland Press, 2006.
Ohio Historical Society
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCook, Edwin Stanton 1837 births 1873 deaths Acting governors of Dakota Territory Assassinated American politicians Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery Deaths by firearm in South Dakota Governors of Dakota Territory McCook family People from Carrollton, Ohio Military personnel from Illinois People of Ohio in the American Civil War People of Illinois in the American Civil War Union army colonels Assassinated governors and heads of sub-national entities 19th-century governors Politicians assassinated in the 1870s