The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-23
1NMEM0RY OF GENERAL COGswELL
Tribute Paid to Him BY His Successor
and Others.


A Youthful But Distinguished Soldier In
the Heterogeneous Moody Tells of
His Life and What He Accomplished.
ESPECIAL TO THE FREssJ
Washington, April 21-The members of
the present Congress have not been treat
ed to maHy funeral orations. .Since the
$50 members and delegates were elected
she number of deaths has been few. Gen
eral CogswelI, of Massachusetts, died Of
ter the election but before Congress as
Bembled; Representative Grain, of
Texas, died during the session. Last
Saturday was set apart for the. euIogies of
Cegswell, next Saturday will be devoted
TO Grain. General Cogswell was "a re-
markable man. At the age of twenty
six years ne was mustered out of the
Union army having served four years
and three months. He had commanded
company, regiment and a brigade.
During the campaign in Atlanta,-as
General Grosvenor recalled in few re-
marks made during the memorial exer-
eises-General Grosvenor, then a young
aide, was sent to General Hooker with
an order for him to detail his best regi-
mental commander for certain duty. "If
should obey that order literally" said
Hooker in Grosvenor's hearing, as he
read the despatch, 81 should send Cogs-
well.'
The story of General Cogswell's life
and character was delightfully."- set forth
by his young and very able successor,
Congressman W. II. Moody. Funeral
orations are not the most popular order
OF exercises in the House, because the ora
tions are often tedious or perfunctory.
But Mr.. Moody's Grafton was model,
entirely worthy of the noble subject and
the occasion.
"There can be no complete know ledge
Of an Individual" said Mr. Moody, 'un-
less we know of what manner of men
he was born. William Cogswell owed
much to his ancestry. They were of
English origin. He was descended from
John Cogswell, who appears to have. been
a man of substance and position in West
bury Leigh, county of Willis where he
owned and managed wooden mill which
had been in the family for many ge nera.
tions. When about 43 years of age he
sailed from Bristol with his wife and
eight children in search of a new home
across the Atlantic. The voyage began
on June 4, 1886, in the ship Angel Gabriel
and ended in shipwreck ON the inhospita-
bic shores of Maine in the great storm of
August Is, of that year. The Cogswells
were among the saved, and with little de-
lay the family proceeded to Ipswich, in
what is now the county of Essex. in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and
settled in that part of Ipswich which sub
sequently became the town of Essex.
Tho Cogswells were always leaders in
the community in which they dwelt. In
the fifth generation of the family eight
BROTHERS served in the Continental Army
in the war of the Revolution, their eg-
gregate term of service being thirty eight
years. One of the brothers, the grand
father of William Cogswell, entered the
Army as private at the age of Is years,
subseq uently became surgeons mate,
surgeon, and chief medical officer of the
Army. from which position he resigned
in 1885.
?" William Cogswell, seventh in descent
from John Cogswell, was born at Brad
ford. Mass, August 2, 1888, of the mar
Parker. His father, George Coeswell, is
q surgeon of extended practice and great
reputation, and through long and busy
life hus held many important public and
private offices. He was one of the found
ers Of the Republican party in Massachu-
salts, and was delegate in the oonven-
tion which nominated Abraham Lincoln
in 1860. He is now, at the age of Ss, liv-
ing at his home in Bradford, with mental
powers unimpaired by the passage of
time, serenely awaiting the summons
which in the order OF nature can not be
many years delayed. Young Cogsweil's
mother died when he was about years
of age.''
Cogswell received his education at
Phillips Academy, at Dartmouth College
where he attended short time: in a
voyage around the world as a sailor be-
fore the mast, and at Harvard Law
School. When about 81 years of age he
early years Mr.. Moody said: 81 fancy
that up. to the 18th of April 1851, few
clients had found their way to the young
lawyers office. At about l O'Clock In
the afternoon of that day news came to
Salem which changed his whole career.
The Sixth Massachusetts had been attacked
in she streets of Baltimore on it's march
to the defense of the capital, which 1t was
destined to reach as the first armed body
Of volunteers. Law books, clients and
the hope of clients were all thrown aside. |
and the law office became the recruiting
station. where in twenty -four hours a
eull company was raised for the war. 1t
il worthy OF notice that this was the
first company in the country which was
recruited for the war. This company,
with Captain Cogswell in command.
became Company of the Second Mas
eachusetts Infantry Volunteers which
was under the command of Col. George
Il. Gordon. graduate of West Point.
On the 25th of May, CogswelI was mus
tered into the service of the United
States as captain, to serve three years.