Anson G . McCook Anson George McCook ( October 10 , 1835 – December 30 , 1917 ) was a brevet brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War , attorney , and three - term postbellum U . S . Congressman from New York . He was a member of the “ Fighting McCooks , ” one of America ’ s most prolific military families during the Civil War . Early life and career . McCook was born in Steubenville , Ohio , to Dr . John McCook and his wife Catherine . He was one of five brothers , all of whom would serve as officers in the Civil War . After receiving his education in the local public schools , McCook traveled via overland train in 1854 to California and spent several years on the Pacific Coast , mostly engaged in mining in California and what became Nevada . Upon his return to Ohio in 1859 , he studied law in the family business , Stanton & McCook , and was admitted to the bar . However , he did not get to establish his own legal career as the Civil War erupted and McCook offered his services to the army , following President Abraham Lincoln ’ s call for volunteers to put down the rebellion . Civil War . Mc ' Cook enlisted in the 2nd Ohio Infantry , a three - months regiment , and was commissioned as a captain . He saw combat at the First Battle of Bull Run in Northern Virginia . When the regiment was reorganized as a three - years regiment , McCook re - enlisted and was named as major . He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant colonel and then colonel of the 2nd Ohio , serving in the Army of the Cumberland under such leaders as Don Carlos Buell , William S . Rosecrans , and George H . Thomas . Among his battles were Perryville , Stones River , Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge . During the Atlanta Campaign , McCook commanded a brigade of infantry and was distinguished by his actions at the Battle of Peachtree Creek , where his coolness under fire and his tactical leadership won acclaim in the official reports . He was mustered out in late 1864 , along with his regiment . Governor John Brough named McCook as the colonel of the newly raised 194th Ohio Infantry , a one - year regiment which served in the Shenandoah Valley under Philip Sheridan . Again Mc ' Cook commanded a brigade with efficiency , and was brevetted as a brigadier general of volunteers for his gallant and meritorious service . He resigned from the army in 1865 . Postbellum career . Mc ' Cook returned to Steubenville following the war and was admitted to the bar in 1866 . He served as the U . S . assessor of internal revenue taxes from November 1865 until May 1873 , when he moved to New York City , established a law practice , and entered politics . He was the founder and editor of the " Daily Register " ( later known as the " New York Law Journal " ) . He served as president of the New York Law Publishing Company until his death . He became close friends with several leading Republicans , including former comrades in arms James Garfield , Rutherford B . Hayes , and Ohio Senator John Sherman . McCook was elected to the United States House of Representatives in the Forty - fifth Congress as a delegate from lower Manhattan , and served from 1877 until 1883 . He was defeated for a fourth term in the elections of 1882 . Among his duties was serving on the House committee that oversaw military affairs . In December 1882 , the Republican Caucus elected McCook as the Secretary of the United States Senate , a post he held until 1893 when the Democrats regained control of the Senate and replaced him with former Confederate general William R . Cox . McCook adopted an employee merit system and resisted senators ' strong and persistent pressures for patronage appointments . He modernized office procedures and instituted a program for preserving the Senate ' s historical archives . Mayor William L . Strong appointed McCook as city chamberlain of the city of New York and he served in that capacity from 1895 to 1898 , as well as continuing to run his publishing company . He died in New York City and was buried in Union Cemetery in his native Steubenville .