William Gordon Cooke
(March 26, 1803 ? December 24, 1847) was a
New Orleans
druggist
from
Virginia
, who volunteered for service in the
Texas Revolution
; fighting at
Bexar
and
San Jacinto
, he rose to the rank of
major
in the
Texian Army
. In the
Republic
he held a number of military and civilian appointments; as commissioner to the
Comanches
he participated in the
Council House Fight
, and as
colonel
of the
First Texas Infantry
he became the last commanding officer of the
Regular Texas Army
. After its disbandment, Cooke participated in the
Santa Fe Expedition
and sat imprisoned in
Mexico City
. Back in Texas, he fought the Mexicans at
Arroyo Hondo
, and in the
naval battles of Campeche
. The last
Secretary of war
of the Republic, he was also the
State of Texas
' first
Adjutant general
.
Texas Revolution
[
edit
]
Cooke, a Virginian of
Anglo-Irish
descent, came to Texas with the
New Orleans Grays
in 1835. Having moved from
Fredericksburg
to New Orleans to take up the family business of
pharmacy
,
[2]
he had attended a public meeting in mid-October, and volunteered for service in the Texas revolution. The company was filled within four days, and sailed from the
Crescent City
with four months provisions provided by its citizens. Arriving at
San Antonio
, where Texas forces were besieging the Mexicans in the town, Lieutenant Cooke was elected captain of the Grays. The undisciplined Texian Army was very disaffected by the many orders and counterorders received, and when
General Burleson
aborted an attack set to take place on December 3, dissatisfaction spread among the besiegers; the General formally resigned his command, preparations were made for retreating to
Goliad
, and men began to desert in droves. According to his own account, Captain Cooke persuaded about 300 men to abandon the retreat and attack the enemy. The Texas forces led by
Colonel Milam
and
Colonel Johnson
then pressed the attack which
eventually took the city
. Cooke led the desperate assault that took the Priest's House.
[3]
[4]
[5]
After the siege of Bexar, Cooke volunteered for the
Matamoros Expedition
as captain of the San Antonio Grays
[6]
formed by those of the New Orleans Grays that did not remain in San Antonio. Arriving at
Refugio
they were ordered to
San Patricio
as reinforcements. When
Colonel Grant
announced his intentions to join the Mexican Federalists, Captain Cooke was ordered back to Goliad, from where he was sent with two
prisoners-of-war
to
Washington on the Brazos
. During the
battle of San Jacinto
, Cooke served as assistant inspector general with the rank of major
[4]
on Houston's staff.
[7]
After the battle, Major Cooke prevented the lynching of
Santa Anna
, thereby making it possible for Houston to negotiate peace and independence.
[8]
Republic of Texas
[
edit
]
Under Sam Houston's first presidency, Major Cooke briefly served as chief clerk of the Texas Department of War, and was subsequently appointed stock commissioner 1836, acting secretary of war 1836, inspector-general 1837, and quartermaster-general 1838.
President Lamar
appointed him commissary of subsistence 1839, one of the commissioners to sign treaties with the
Comanches
1840, and as such participating in the
Council House Fight
in San Antonio. Later the same year, Cooke became colonel of the First Regiment of Infantry, being the last commanding officer of the regular Texas army.
[4]
[7]
[9]
As such, Colonel Cooke was in charge of building the
military road from Preston
on the
Red River
to
Austin
, and constructing
Fort Johnson
near the present town of
Denison
.
[10]
[11]
After the disbandment of the regular Texas army in 1841, Colonel Cooke was offered to run for vice president of the Republic, but he declined and was appointed senior civilian member of the
Texan Santa Fe Expedition
the same year.
[7]
[8]
The aim of the expedition was to persuade those of the people of New Mexico who lived within the Texas' claims, to accept allegiance to the Republic. Almost lost and starving, the expedition made contact with the Mexican authorities when a vanguard was surrounded and taken prisoners on September 15, 1841. Two days later the main expedition was surrounded by superior forces, and Colonel Cooke surrendered. The members of the expedition were made Mexican prisoners, marched to
Mexico City
, and kept incarcerated.
[12]
The captivity lasted until the summer of 1842, when everyone except
Jose Antonio Navarro
was set free. Colonel Cooke stayed in
Mexico City
recovering in the residence of the American
minister
Waddy Thompson Jr.
, before he and the American born members of the expedition were sent home courtesy of the
United States Government
.
[13]
Back in Texas, Colonel Cooke participated in the defeat of
Mexican General Adrian Woll
at
Arroyo Hondo
in 1842, where he was lightly
wounded
by a
grape shot
.
[14]
President Houston appointed him quartermaster-general, which did not stop him from joining
Edwin Ward Moore
's expedition to Yucatan aboard the
sloop-of-war Austin
, and took part in the
sea battle of Campeche
1843. After returning home the same year, Colonel Cooke was appointed adjutant-general of Texas militia. The following year, he married a niece of Jose Antonio Navarro, and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. Within short, however,
President Jones
appointed him secretary of war (the last to hold the post).
[4]
[7]
[15]
State of Texas
[
edit
]
When the United States
annexed Texas
, Colonel Cooke unsuccessfully ran for the
United States Congress
, and was then appointed first Adjutant General of the State of Texas by
Governor Henderson
. However, he died already next year of
tuberculosis
, leaving behind a widow and a young son.
[4]
[7]
[15]
References
[
edit
]
Citations
[
edit
]
- ^
Steven A. Brownrigg. "Cooke, William Gordon."
Texas State Historical Association.
2019-05-30.
- ^
Brown 2000, p. 129.
- ^
Warren 1906, pp. 212?213.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Louis W Kemp (1930?1952). "Cook, William Gordon."
San Jacinto Museum of History.
2019-05-30.
- ^
Brown 1999, p. 113.
- ^
Miller 2004, p. 119.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Anonymous 2001, pp. 60?61.
- ^
a
b
Thompson 1847, pp. 97?98.
- ^
Warren 1906, p. 216.
- ^
Moore 2005?2010, vol. 2, p. 355.
- ^
Frazer 1965, pp. 152?153.
- ^
Yoakum 1855, pp. 321?322, 337.
- ^
Warren 1906, pp. 218.
- ^
Moore 2005?2010, vol. 4, p. 91.
- ^
a
b
Warren 1906, p. 219.
Cited literature
[
edit
]
- Anonymous (2001).
The Sons of the Republic of Texas.
Paducah, Ky. : Turner Pub. Co.
- Brown, Gary (1999).
The New Orleans Greys.
Republic of Texas Press.
- Brown, Gary (2000).
Hesitant Martyr of the Texas Revolution.
Republic of Texas Press.
- Frazer, Robert W. (1965).
Forts of the West.
University of Oklahoma Press.
- Miller, Edward L. (2004).
New Orleans and the Texas Revolution.
Texas A & M University Press.
- Moore, Stephen L. (2005?2010).
Savage Frontier.
University of North Texas Press.
- Thompson, Waddy (1847).
Recollections of Mexico.
New York.
- Warren, Harry (1906). "Col. William G. Cooke."
The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association
, Vol. 9, No. 3: 210?219.
- Yoakum, Henderson K. (1855).
History of Texas.
New York.
|
---|
Secretaries of War (1836 - 1841)
| | |
---|
Secretaries of the Navy (1836 - 1841)
| |
---|
Secretaries of War and Marine (1841 - 1846)
| |
---|