George B. Cosby

George Blake Cosby (January 19, 1830 – June 29, 1909), was a Confederate States Army Brigadier General during the American Civil War. He was an 1852 graduate of the United States Military Academy and served in the United States Army until May 10, 1861. In his antebellum years, he was a farmer in California, a sutler in Oregon and held several government positions.

Early life
George Blake Cosby was born on January 19, 1830, in Louisville, Kentucky. He graduated 17th of 43 in the 1852 class of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He was assigned as a brevet Second Lieutenant to the U.S. Mounted Riflemen Regiment on July 1, 1852, and was appointed a full Second Lieutenant on September 16, 1852. Cosby was wounded fighting Native Americans (Indians) at Lake Trinidad, Texas, on May 9, 1854. Cosby transferred to the 2nd U.S. Cavalry Regiment on March 3, 1855. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on May 1, 1856, and to captain on May 8, 1861. He taught cavalry tactics at West Point before his resignation to join the Confederate States Army.  Cosby resigned on May 10, 1861, in order to join the Confederate Army.

American Civil War
On May 16, 1861, George B. Cosby was appointed Captain and assistant adjutant general in the regular army of the Confederate States. On June 20, 1861, he was promoted to Major with the same duties. He also became assistant adjutant general of the Army of the Peninsula until the following month. Between November 9, 1861, and February 16, 1861, he was assistant adjutant general and chief of staff for Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner. As such, Cosby brought the note that opened negotiations for the surrender of Fort Donelson, Tennessee, on February 16, 1862, from Brigadier General Buckner to Union Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant. Cosby was captured as a result of the surrender of the Fort Donelson. He was not exchanged until August 15, 1862.

Upon his return to duty in August 1862, Cosby was appointed Colonel of cavalry. In October, 1862, he was appointed chief of staff of the Army of Mississippi and on December 23, 1862, chief of staff for the District of the Gulf, Department No. 2. Cosby was promoted to Brigadier General on January 20, 1863 and given command of a cavalry brigade in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. In February and March, 1863, his brigade was assigned to the Army of Tennessee. They served under General Joseph E. Johnston in the campaign around Jackson, Mississippi, which was planned to relieve the Siege of Vicksburg. In March 1863, Cosby's brigade was assigned to the division of Brigadier General William H. Jackson in the Army of Mississippi and then to the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. The brigade was assigned to Major General Earl Van Dorn in August and September, 1863, then returned to the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, which became the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. While under Van Dorn's command, Cosby fought in the Battle of Thompson's Station, Tennessee.

In February 1864, Cosby and his brigade were assigned to the Department of Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee until September 1864, when they were assigned to the Department of West Virginia and East Tennessee until the end of the war. Cosby had between 2,000 and 4,000 men under his command at various times during this assignment. Cosby was paroled in Kentucky in May, 1865. He had disbanded his men when he heard about the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Aftermath
After the Civil War, Cosby moved to Butte County, California, where he was a farmer. For a period of time, he also was a sutler in Oregon. He held several government positions, including Secretary of the Board of State Engineers and member of the West Point Board of Visitors. Cosby also lived in Sacramento, California, where he served as receiver of funds in the federal land office.

General Cosby died by suicide on June 29, 1909, at Oakland, California, allegedly due to continuing pain from his old war wounds. George Blake Cosby was buried at City Cemetery in Sacramento.

See also
 List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)

Notes

References
 Boatner, Mark Mayo, III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: McKay, 1988. . First published New York, McKay, 1959.
 Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. Civil War High Commands. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
 Stanchak, John E. "Cosby, George Blake" in Historical Times Illustrated History of the Civil War, edited by Patricia L. Faust. New York: Harper & Row, 1986. . p. 186.
 Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. .
 Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .

External links

1830 births
1909 suicides
1909 deaths
Confederate States Army generals
People of Kentucky in the American Civil War
Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky
Military personnel from Sacramento, California
Suicides in California
United States Military Academy alumni
United States Army officers
American military personnel who committed suicide