Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-05-24
old SOLDIER DEAD
LEoNiDAs M. COOLEY PASSES
AWAY AT 1920 O'CLOCK THIS
MORNING.
Death Took Place at Family Residence
214 Woodland Avenue - Was 60
Years of Age - An Old Settler and
Was Widely Known.

Leonidas M. Cooley, a soldier OF the
great civil war and one of the Oldest
and best known residents of Otttumwa,
and Wapello county. passed away this
morning at / 20 o'clock at the family
residence, 214 West Woodland avenue.
The funeral will take place Wednesday
afternoon and the services will be con-
Quoted by DR.. A. E. Craig, pastor OF
the First Methodist Episcopal church
at an hour which has not yet been de-
cided upon.
Major A. H. Hamilton, a life long
friend, comrade in the great war
and neighbor for many years, has
prepared the following sketch of the
life Of Mr.. Cooley:
A gallant hero of the great civil war
has fought his last battle and passed
on to the higher life.
Leonidas M. Cooley was born
in West Virginia, June IS, 1886,
and died May IS, 1904, at 1:2O
a. m. in this city. He was the youngest
child of a family of eight children. His
parents were Mahlon and Nancy New
MANI Cooley, who moved to Iowa, set
Ting first in Jefferson county in 1850
and in 1854 moved into Wapello county
upon a farm near old Ashland Wash
ington township. Leonidas at the age
of Ii came west with his parents and
grew up upon the farm, receiving ms
education in the country schools. Old
Ashland was noted in an early day for
it's rather uncommonly good school and
this ne attended. He learned the car
penter's trade and worked at it for
some years, removing to Kansas and
afterwards to Sedalia, Mo. Here in
May. 1861. he enlisted in the three
months service in the 9th Regiment,
Volunteer Infantry. His service was
quite eventful down there in Missouri
where neighbors were divided in their
allegiance and guerrilla warfare (Which
is war in it's most barbarous form) was
prevalent. His service consisted chief
ly in gathering in and storing away all
material contraband of war and ar
resting notorious and active rebels. He
has left some brief notes of this SER
vice from which we extract the follow
ing in his own language as follows:
st was d curiosity to see our regi-
ment. We had every kind OF arms
YOU could mention from the old flint
lock horse pistol to the most expensive
hunters outfit costing into the hun
dreds of dollars. Our captain was
notified by union man that at GER
tain school house in Saline county,
about thirty miles distant, a quantity
of powder had been stored by the reb-
els. We took up the mrch at shutdown
and reached the school house at sun
up the next morning, having one team
to haul our rations and blankets. We
found the school house with doors and
windows open and no appearance OF
ever having anything stored in it.. Dis
appointed, we were engaged preparing
breakfast when some of the boys COM
menced a more careful search. The
school room was sealed with lumber
overhead and they broke through with
a fence rail and 10, 100 kegs OF pow
der were disclosed
AT. another time he tells of raid
after noted rebel. In this raid they
were accompanied by some OF General
Mulligans men. He says:
eve arrived at the rebels place at
daybreak We came up in front of
the house and Mulligan's men through
the fields to the rear. We rode upon
our horses and most of us dismounted
and hitched our horses to the rail
fence and surrounded the house.
Knocking at the door three women ap-
peared. don't think either of them
would weigh less than 200 pounds.
When the old lady found we were af-
ter the husband, she gave us piece
of her mind She called us niger
stealers, Lincoln thieves and seemed
to get madden and madden, the more
she talked and finally she stepped out
into the front yard and picked up a
stand of bees and walked up to the
fence with it and threw it in among
the horses and soon there was some
tall running done to catch the horses
that broke away
He does not. relate that they were
successful in finding their man.
After his three months service eX-
PRED, he returned to this county and
soon after enlisted in Co. "E" 22nd
Iowa Infantry. He was with Grant in
his campaign against Vicksburg and
took part in all the severe battles lead
ing up to the investment of Vicks-
burg and finally was in the disastrous
charge on the rebels work on May 90
1868, where he was terribly wounded,
losing his left leg. He has left brief
account of the charge and we give it
in his own words.
1--WE formed In three lines of battle
behind the crest OF hill fronting the
rebel works and waited for the can
nonading to cease to start upon the
charge, finally the moment arrived and
we sprang forward on that fatal charge
upon the double-quick with orders to
reserve our fire until we gained the
rebel works. Passing over the bridge
Just few steps, we were in range of
their muskets and we commenced to
descend The hill at an angle of about
45 degrees for the distance of perhaps
$50 to 200 yards. AT the foot of this
hill was a small narrow branch with
steep banks, which had been over
grown with trees and these had been
cut down, falling with their tops in the
direction we were charging with the
limbs trimmed and sharpened and the
small limbs interviewer in such man
ner rs to impede our progress. There
were places where there was little to
obstruct the passage. At one of the
latter places. l happened to strike the
creek and | passed over not hear
| ing any command to halt.
Having almost reached the rebel
fort, l was brought to halt by can