Here is a bio on Robert McCook from Cinncinnati,
@O' Be Joyful ... He an English speaking person wanted to command Germans...
Brig. General Robert McCook was the beau ideal of his mostly German regiment. His death by Southern guerrillas sparked angry reprisals from his men.
warfarehistorynetwork.com
snip...
Having opened a law practice in Cincinnati, 33-year-old Robert McCook became colonel of the 9th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The regiment was composed mainly of German residents of the Queen City, many of whom had seen prior service in European wars.
McCook had specifically wanted to command an all-German regiment, stating, “I know the Germans will fight. Our American boys mean well enough, but they don’t know how.” On April 22, 1861, 10 companies of the 9th Ohio were enrolled for three months’ service. With no uniforms available at the time, McCook wore civilian clothes, a stovepipe hat, and a sword. When the regiment reached Camp Dennison near Cincinnati for training, members learned that President Abraham Lincoln had called for three-year enlistments. A majority of the men, including their commander, immediately extended their service.
An examination of the early regimental rolls shows that of the 11 officers in the regiment, nine were German. In addition, of the 10 companies that enlisted in 1861, the majority of the members were recent immigrants. Names like Gebhard Krug (Company B) and Sebastian Hienrich (Company E) were the norm, while men like Henry W. Sanders (Company E) and Charles Boyle (regimental surgeon) proved the exception. According to the unit’s regimental history, 57 members were born in the United States, 1,012 were born in Germany, 56 in Switzerland, 25 in France, three in Russia, one in Holland, and one was born at sea. Although most were recent immigrants, one 19th-century historian noted
, “No regiment is more justly entitled to the thanks of the patriotic people of Ohio for distinguished services in support of the Union and the flag than the 9th [Ohio] Infantry.”
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McCook’s brigade suffered 55 casualties, and his men took great pains to care for the wounded. According to one Union soldier,
“Some of the 9th Ohio carried their wounded comrades nine miles to avoid jolting them over the rough roads.” Although seriously injured, McCook remained on duty until his brigade returned to camp. On January 28, the Ohio General Assembly passed a resolution thanking Thomas, McCook, and Colonel James A. Garfield for their successes in the Bluegrass State. Colonel Mahlon D. Manson of the 10th Indiana remarked,
“I shall ever remember with feeling of gratitude and admiration for the prompt manner in which [McCook] sustained me in the hour of trial.”
Had McCook not arrived at the field on time, it is likely that Manson’s 10th Indiana would have been decimated. For his service at Mill Springs, McCook was promoted to brigadier general.
snip... murdered...
While on the way to Decherd, McCook rode three miles ahead of his brigade with a staff member, an officer from the 35th Ohio Infantry, and an escort of nine men. McCook was ill—likely with dysentery—and traveled in an ambulance, riding uncomfortably in a bed in an open carriage. At noon on August 5, the command neared New Market, Alabama. When McCook stopped at a house to ask about water and potential campsites, his escort divided. Two men, accompanied by a citizen on an escort’s horse, traveled a half-mile to the rear. Three others rode ahead to find a campsite, while four remained with McCook. One was dismounted, having loaned his horse to the citizen, while another was unarmed and was tending to the sick commander.
As the four men waited near the house, shots echoed from some nearby woods. Suddenly, the men were attacked by a band of 100 to 200 mounted guerrillas. The horsemen stormed toward them, and McCook ordered the ambulance turned around. The wagon’s horses ran away at top speed, but the guerrillas quickly surrounded the party, firing their pistols and yelling, “Stop! Stop!”
McCook rose on his bed, shouting, “Don’t shoot; the horses are running; we will stop as soon as possible.” A guerrilla struck one member of the escort in the head with a saber. Another horseman fired into the ambulance. One bullet pierced McCook’s hat, a second struck him in the side. The shot had passed through his body from the rear, coming out near the buckle of his sword belt. McCook had been gravely wounded.
Finally the ambulance stopped. As the wagon rolled to a halt, a guerrilla rode up with a cocked pistol in hand. McCook simply told him that there was no point in firing because he was fatally wounded already. Two of McCook’s escort, including Captain Hunter Brooke, carried the general into a nearby home. The residents initially wanted to move the officer into the slave quarters because they feared their home would be burned in retaliation if McCook died there. However, McCook remained in the residence thanks to the insistence of Brooke and the other officers.
Here is where
you need to read the link a see the Ohio 9th takes revenge out on the locals... burning building and hanging people and so forth... building down towns...