Colonel Philip St. George Cocke was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the first year of the American Civil War. He is best known for organizing the defense of Virginia along the Potomac River soon after the state's secession from the Union. He commanded troops in the Battle of Blackburn's Ford and the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861 before his death.
Early Years
Philip St. George Cocke was born in Fluvanna County, Virginia, to John Hartwell Cocke, who had served in the United States Army during the War of 1812. He grew up and was admitted into the University of Virginia, where he graduated in 1828. He went on to gain acceptance into the United States Military Academy and graduate from that institution in 1832. He was assigned as a secon lieutenant to an artillery unit in Charleston, South Carolina, from 1832 - 1833 until he became an adjutant of the 2nd U.S. Artillery on July 12, 1833.
Military life suited him well, but he had aspirations to become a planter. He married Sallie Elizabeth Courtney in 1834 and began his new life. He became an accomplished agriculturist and published various articles about the subject. He became president of the Virginia State Agricultural Society in 1853.
Civil War
Cocke began to show concern over the situation in the country after the events of the John Brown Raid. He organized the militia of Powhatan County to defend the area in case of a similar slave revolt occurring in his location.
On April 21, 1861, Cocke was appointed as a brigadier general in the service of the Commonwealth of Virginia by Governor John Letcher. He was assigned command of all state forces along the Potomac River. Three days later, from his headquarters at Alexandria, Virginia, he reported to newly commissioned Maj. Gen. Robert E. Lee that he had only 300 men to defend against what he thought was 10,000 Union troops across the river in Washington, D.C. Cocke made his headquarters at Culpeper, Virginia, on April 27 in order to better oversee the entire line of the Potomac as well as the mustering of volunteer troops in a large part of the state. Alexandria was evacuated by Lt. Col. A. S. Taylor on May 5, despite Cocke's orders "not to abandon it without fighting, even against overwhelming numbers."
Under Lee's orders, Cocke organized a new defensive line at Manassas. Cocke may have been the first to formulate the Confederate defensive strategy of concentrating forces at Manassas and at Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley and using the Manassas Gap Railroad to allow them to be mutually supporting. This strategy would be a decisive factor in the Confederate victory in the First Battle of Bull Run.
When Virginia's state forces were consolidated with the Provisional Army of the Confederate States, Cocke was given the rank of colonel in the new CSA forces. Because of this effective demotion, Cocke was superseded in command at Manassas on May 21 by Brig. Gen. Milledge L. Bonham and took command of the 19th Virginia Infantry Regiment.
First Battle of Bull Run
Cocke was eventually assigned to the army of P. G. T. Beauregard in command of the 5th Brigade, consisting of the 8th, 18th, 19th, 28th, and 49th Virginia Infantry Regiments. His brigade was initially assigned to Centreville, but in the face of advancing Union forces, withdrew behind Bull Run on July 17.
On July 20, Cocke was stationed at Ball's Ford on Bull Run. In the subsequent First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, Cocke was assigned to advance against Centreville, a plan abandoned when the Federals began their flanking movement against the Confederate left. While Col. Nathan George Evans, reinforced by Brig. Gen. Barnard Bee and Col. Francis S. Bartow opposed the enemy. Cocke's forces defended against attack in the vicinity of the Stone Bridge, with his headquarters at the Lewis house. At 2 p.m., about an hour before the arrival of Elzey, he led his brigade into action on the left with "alacrity and effect." He was promoted to brigadier general in the Confederate Army on October 21 and given command of the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division of the Confederate Army of the Potomac.
Death
Cocke returned home after the First Battle of Bull Run and was said by others to be "shattered in body and mind." (He probably showed signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that was not understood during that time) Exhausted and in an unfortunate state of mind, the Brigadier General shot himself and died at his plantation in Powhatan County, Virginia.