General Willia
It. Cox
One of North Carolina's outstanding sol¬
diers during the War Between the Slates:
Congressman for four terms: Superior
Court judge and holder of many other im¬
portant positions.
OF the twenty-six brigadier gen-
erale appointed from North
Carolina, none served the state
more gallantly than William R. Cox,
who bore the sears of eleven wounds
received in battle; whose brigade won
words of high praise from the dying
lips of Stonewall Jackson : whose con¬
duct earned him the warm commenda¬
tion of General Leo; and whoso brig¬
ade had the distinction of having
made the last Confederate charge
just before the surrender at Appo¬
mattox. Gallant as was his conduct
during the Civil War, lie rendered his
state an even more distinguished
service at the end of the strife, for
upon bis broad and capable shoulders
fell a large measure of the tad* of
redeeming the state from the terrors
and ruin of Reconstruction.
Born in Halifax
General Cox was born in Halifax
County in 1832, and bis father having
died when lie was but n lad. bis wid¬
owed mother moved to Tennessee,
where she had her son educated at
Franklin College. After that lie read
law at Lebanon College, which was
also attended by such outstanding
Tennesseeans as General and United
States Senator William B. Bate and
by Justices McHenry and East of the
Supreme Court bench of that state.
Young Cox began the practice of
bis profession at Nashville, but hav¬
ing married into the Battle family of
Edgecombe County, ho returned to his
native state and engaged in agricul¬
tural pursuits until the onset of the
Civil War. In May, 1861, when the
first Confederate regiments were
organized in this state, he was com¬
missioned by Governor Ellis ns Major
of the Second North Carolina, and
spent the following six months along
the Potomac training and drilling his
troops.
When McClellan moved up the
peninsula in his campaign against
Richmond, the brigade to which the
regiment of Major Cox was attached
was immediately ordered to Rich¬
mond, and when the great battle of
Meehanicsvillc was fought under the
B«/ R. C. LAWRENCE
very shallow of the Confederate capi¬
tal. the regiment of Major Cox was
the first Confcredcrate force to cross
Meadow Run and charge the heavy
columns of the Fedora Is posted on tin*
other side. The next day, as all the
field officers of the First (Bethel) regi¬
ment hail fallen. Major Cox was tem¬
porarily assigned to command it. He
remained in command of the First all
during the terrific fighting of the
“Seven Days” which resulted in the
driving back of McClellan's army in
a disorderly retreat.
Malvern Hill was the scene of ter¬
rible carnage, and here Major Cox
was so severely wounded that he was
unable to rejoin bis regiment until
just prior to the battle of Sharps-
btirg. On this fiercely fought field, at
the end of “Bloody Angle” stands a
monument to the valor of the brigade
to which the regiment of Major Cox
was attached, which recites that "after
a desperate encounter, Anderson's
North Carolina brigade here drove
back the Now York brigade of
Meagher with great slaughter.”
Promoted to Colonelcy
Major Cox was now promoted to
be Colonel, and his regiment took part
in all the battles in which the corps
of Jackson participated. At Chancel-
lorsvillc, where Jackson made his
daring and famous march across the
Federal front and fell upon the corps
of Howard when his presence was not
even suspected, the regiment of Colo¬
nel Cox drove in the enemy from its
immediate front, blit were subjected
to such heavy artillery fire that within
fifteen minutes it lost more than sev¬
enty-five per cent of its strength. Here
Colonel (.’ox was again badly wounded,
receiving five bullets in his body.
The brigade to which his regiment was
attached behaved with such gallantry
on this field where Jackson received
bis mortal wound, that ju>t In-fore lie
•lied he sent it a message of warm rom-
incndlition.
At Spottsylvania. Cox’s brigade
drove back tin- Federals from their
victory at the “Bloody Angle,” where
tie* entire division of Edward John¬
son was captured, restored the Con¬
federate line of battle, and regained
the lost ground. For this heroism the
brigade received the thanks of General
Lee, who immediately promoted its
commander to the rank of Major Gen¬
eral, this also bringing to Colonel Cox
bis promotion to the rank of Briga¬
dier. Thenceforth to the end of t In-
war. Cox commanded the brigade
which had been eonimandcd by Gen¬
eral George B. Anderson.
When a provisional Confederate
army was formed under llie command
of General Early and an attempt was
made to capture the city of Washing¬
ton, the brigade of Cox formed a part
of Early’s force, and bis brigade got
as close to Washington as Silver
Springs, within sight of the dome of
the capitol — the nearest approach to
that city made by any Confederate
troops during the war. General Early
found Washington too well giinrdi*d
to l«e successfully attack is 1 ami he
therefore withdrew bis force. The
brigade of Cox was then ordered to
Petersburg, where it underwent all the
hardships and sufferings incident to
that historic siege. Shortly l>efore
Leo’s surrender, the Federals were
pressing forward in overwhelming
strength with the Confederates in dis¬
order and confusion, which even the
presence of General Loo was unable to
irevent. Then there appeared a small
•rigade. its lines in perfect order, its
General at its head, the Confederate
Hag Hying above its thin ranks. Rid¬
ing forward General Leo inquired :
“What troops are these?" “Cox's
North Carolina brigade” wa- the le
plv. Raising hi- hat General Tee ox-
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