Samuel Cooper Signed Document Listing West Point Graduates Of 1852, Including George Crook And Henry Slocum

SAMUEL COOPER (17981876). Samuel Cooper was the highest-ranking Confederate general during the American Civil War, serving as the Adjutant and Inspector General. Though born in New York, he aligned with the South, utilizing his extensive experience as the former U.S. Army Adjutant General to organize the Confederate War Department.DS. 3pg. August 5, 1852. Washington, D.C. A document signed S. Cooper outlining the graduates of the West Point Class of 1852: ...The following named Cadets, constituting the First Class of 1852, having been adjudged by the Academic Staff of the Military Academy, at the June examination, competent to perform duty in the Army, the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, has appointed them to Regiments and Corps, in conformity with the fourth section of the act of April 29, 1812, making further provision for the Corps of Engineers. The document then lists all the new officers, including Civil War generals Henry Slocum and George Crook. During this time, Samuel Cooper was adjutant general of the U.S. Army. This document serves as the official military announcement for the West Point Class of 1852, assigning them to specific regiments. Most graduates were commissioned as Brevet Second Lieutenants, meaning they held the rank and authority of a Lieutenant but were essentially in a waiting list status until a permanent vacancy opened in their assigned regiment. The Memorandum at the end highlights where the U.S. Army was focused in 1852: Oregon, California, Texas, and New Mexico. These were the frontiers where the military was most active following the Mexican-American War. Some people in this graduating class become major figures in the Civil War. George Crook became a prominent Union General known for his service in the Indian Wars. He commanded the U.S. forces in the 1886 campaign that leads to the defeat of the Apache leader Geronimo. Henry Slocum became a high-ranking Union Major General and commanded a wing of Shermans army during the March to the Sea. It has a central fold with pinholes.