Commander Roderick Sheldon McCook (10 March 1839 – 13 February 1886) was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. He was a member of the famed family of

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 ...

soldiers and sailors, 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 ...

Biography

Born at

New Lisbon, Ohio Lisbon is a village in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 2,597 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. Lying along the Little Beaver Creek, the village is located southwest of Youngstown, Ohi ...

, McCook was appointed

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

21 September 1854. From 1859 to 1861, he cruised off the coast of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, searching for and capturing slavers. During the Civil War, he served in ''Minnesota'' (1861), ''Stars and Stripes'' (1862), and ''Canonicus'' (1863–65). As executive officer of latter ship, he participated in operations along the

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

and in attacks on and the surrender of

Fort Fisher Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear Riv ...

. He was also present at the surrender of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

(February 1865). From 1866 to 1878 he was in command of vessels of war on the

West India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of western states of Republic of India. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra al ...

and Asiatic stations. His last duty, 1880‑82, was as lighthouse inspector on the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. Promoted to commander 25 September 1873, McCook died at

Vineland, New Jersey Vineland is a City (New Jersey), city and the most populous municipality in Cumberland County, New Jersey, Cumberland County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey. Bridgeton, New Jersey, Bridgeton and Vineland are the two principal cities of the ...

, February 13, 1886.

Namesakes

Two ships have been named USS ''McCook'' for him.

References

: 1839 births 1886 deaths United States Navy officers People of Ohio in the American Civil War People from Lisbon, Ohio Union Navy officers McCook family {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub