John Esten Cooke was born on November 3, 1830, and died on September 27, 1886. He was an American novelist, writer, and poet. He was the brother of Philip Pendleton Cooke, who was also a poet. During the American Civil War, Cooke worked as a staff officer for Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart in the Confederate States Army cavalry. After Stuart passed away, Cooke continued his role as a staff officer for Brig. Gen. William N. Pendleton. Flora Stuart, the wife of Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, was a first cousin of John Esten Cooke.
Early life
Cooke was born on November 3, 1830, in Winchester, Virginia. He was one of 13 children, and five of them lived to adulthood. His parents were John R. Cooke, a planter and lawyer from Bermuda, and Maria Pendleton Cooke. He was born on the family's plantation called "Ambler's Hill," located near Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley. In 1838, the family's home, "Glengary," burned down. The family then moved to Charles Town, Virginia, and later to Richmond, Virginia, in 1840.
At his father's suggestion, Cooke studied and practiced law in Richmond for a short time. However, in 1849, he could not attend the University of Virginia because of financial difficulties. In 1851, he formed a law partnership with his father, but he often spent more time writing than working.
Between 1848 and 1853, Cooke had several manuscripts published. In 1854, he began writing and publishing books. After his father died in 1858, Cooke stopped practicing law completely. He quickly became a successful novelist and wrote many short stories. Over his career, he authored 31 books and nearly 200 articles and poems. He was known for writing about Virginia, especially in his historical novels.
Cooke wrote about Virginia's life and history in books such as The Virginia Comedians (1854) and The Wearing of the Gray, a story about the American Civil War. He also wrote a respected history of Virginia. His writing style was grand and elaborate. He was the author of The Youth of Jefferson.
In the 1850s, Cooke joined the Richmond Howitzers, a militia artillery unit, and earned the rank of sergeant. He traveled with the unit to Harpers Ferry in response to John Brown's raid.
Civil War
Cooke fought with the Richmond Howitzers during the First Battle of Bull Run. After the battle, Cooke wrote letters to Southern newspapers under the name "Our Virginia Correspondent" to support Stuart and encourage his promotion. Stuart's commanding officer, General Joseph E. Johnston, also supported this request. Stuart was promoted to brigadier general on September 24, 1861.
In March and April 1862, Cooke worked as an unpaid volunteer aide for Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. Cooke was a first cousin of General Stuart's wife, Flora Cooke Stuart. On May 19, 1862, Cooke was officially made a lieutenant and joined Stuart's staff. Cooke took part in the Peninsula Campaign and Stuart's later ride around the Union army led by George B. McClellan. He later wrote a detailed account of this event. Cooke worked as an ordnance officer until October 1863. Although Stuart personally disliked Cooke, Stuart publicly praised Cooke's work during the Peninsula Campaign and the Seven Days' Battles and supported his promotion. Stuart was promoted to major general on July 25, 1862. On June 9, 1863, Cooke and other staff members fought in the Battle of Brandy Station.
Cooke also took part in the Gettysburg campaign with Stuart. Early in Stuart's ride around the Union Army of the Potomac, Cooke was nearly captured during the Battle of Fairfax Court House on June 1863. At the time, Cooke was eating breakfast with two other officers and a courier at a blacksmith's home while their horses were being shod. The group was about half a mile away from the main force of Brig. Gen. Wade Hampton III's cavalry division when Union riders from the 11th Regiment New York Volunteer Cavalry passed by. The other three officers quickly ran toward the main force, but Cooke stayed to finish his meal and have his horse shoed. He narrowly escaped when a second group of Union riders arrived to investigate the activity at the farm.
During the war, Cooke worked as an aide, ordnance officer, and assistant adjutant general for Stuart, eventually earning the rank of captain. On October 27, 1863, Stuart made Cooke an adjutant to use his writing skills for paperwork.
Although Cooke wrote positively about Stuart during and after the war, Stuart secretly told Flora (but not Cooke) that he did not like Cooke and found him uninteresting.
After Stuart died at Yellow Tavern in May 1864, Cooke worked as an adjutant on the staff of Brig. Gen. William N. Pendleton and eventually reached the rank of major by the end of the war.
Postbellum career
In 1867, Cooke married Mary Frances Page and moved to the former home of Daniel Morgan in Saratoga, near Boyce, Virginia. There, he became a moderately successful farmer, gardener, and author. The Cookes had three children. Mary Frances died on January 15, 1878, which caused Cooke great sadness.
Historian Emory M. Thomas wrote that John Esten Cooke used and added details to the fame of his in-law in a series of stories and novels that made Cooke famous. Cooke was unaware that Stuart found him very boring. In 1869 and 1870, Cooke published a trilogy of Civil War novels: Hilt to Hilt: Days and Nights on the Banks of the Shenandoah in the Autumn of 1864, Mohun: or, The Last Days of Lee and His Paladins: Final Memoirs of a Staff Officer Serving in Virginia. From the Mss. of Colonel Surry, of Eagle's Nest, and Hammer and Rapier. In 1870, Cooke published The Heir of Gaymount, which was released by John H. Van Evrie, a man described as America's "first professional racist." Van Evrie found Cooke to be a helpful partner in promoting white supremacy through the publication of novels and poetry.
Before the war ended, in 1863, Cooke wrote the first of several popular biographies, Stonewall Jackson: A Military Biography, which was published in 1876. This book received some criticism for containing errors. Earlier, in 1866, Cooke had written a novel about Jackson titled Surry of Eagle's Nest. His later biographies, such as one about Robert E. Lee and officers he had personally known, were considered more accurate than his earlier work on Jackson. In his later years, Cooke's writing style remained unchanged from his earlier life, showing no signs of growth or development.
John Esten Cooke died of typhoid fever at his home, "The Briars," on September 27, 1886. He was buried in Old Chapel Cemetery in Millwood, Virginia.
John Esten Cooke Fiction Award
The John Esten Cooke Fiction Award is given each year to support writers who create stories about characters and events related to the Civil War, Confederate heritage, or Southern history. The award includes a $1,000 grant and is open to books that are judged based on how well the research is done, how accurate the information is, and how good the writing is. This award is one of three literary prizes given yearly by the Military Order of the Stars and Bars.