DOB:  November 23, 1843 DOD:  November 2, 1921 Age at Enlistment: 17 Date of Enlistment:  May 9, 1861 Place of Enlistment:  Franklin, TN Rank at Enlistment:  Private Rank at Discharge:  Private Casualty:  None Comments:  Henry Howe Cook was born in a house off of Wilson Pike in what is now Brentwood, TN next door to the historic Ravenswood Mansion near Modern Day Ravenwood High School.  Henry was educated at Boiling Springs Academy until 1858 (which is still standing on Moores Lane), when he was sent to Nashville to attend Franklin College.  He was enrolled there when the war broke out and returned home to enlist in the Williamson Grays. Henry’s older brother James Cook also served in the company.  Cook’s 1st Tennessee career was short lived. He was discharged for illness on October 26, 1861 at Greenbrier, VA.  Cook made his way home and enlisted in the 55th Tennessee on December 12, 1861.  The regiment took heavy casualties at Shiloh and was merged with the 44th Tennessee Infantry to form the 44th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry, which Cook became a member of Company I.  At the Battle of Murfreesboro on December 31, 1862,  Cook was shot in the shoulder and the top of the head.  The latter wound took off part of his skull.  He spent almost a year in Marietta, GA recovering and had a metal plate put on his head to help cover the hole.  Cook used to let children in Franklin bang on it after the war.  He returned to his regiment at the end of 1863.  The 44th Tennessee was reassigned to Longstreet’s Corps and went with him to fight at Knoxville before joining Lee’s Army.  On May 16, 1864, the 44th Tennessee was engaged at Drewry’s Bluff and a good portion of the regiment was captured including Cook himself.  After his capture he was sent to Fort Delaware.  He became part of the "Immortal 600" which was a group of 600 Confederate Officer Prisoners that were sent to Morris Island in Charleston, SC and used as a human shield for 45 days from September to October 1864.  Afterwards, he was sent to Fort Pulaski and eventually back to Fort Delaware and was released upon taking the Oath of Allegiance on June 16, 1865.  His prisoner of war record describes him as Complexion: Dark, Hair: Dark, Eyes: Dark, Height 5'9". In May 1865, he wrote a letter to President Johnson stating he was “persuaded to do so by people much older than myself.  After due consideration, being more mature in years, I am willing and anxious to return home and live a peaceable life.”  Upon returning home he continued to study law and was admitted to the bar in 1867.  He formed a Law Practice with Robert N. Richardson (also a Williamson Gray) called Cook & Richardson.  Later he formed a partnership with Park Marshall from 1877 to 1893.  In 1870, he was elected County Judge in Williamson County and held the position until 1886.  In 1896, he was elected Chancellor for the region encompassing Davidson and Williamson Counties, which he held until 1902.  He returned to Franklin and was elected chairman of the board of examiners for the State of Tennessee, the board’s job was to examine applicants for the bar.  He married Fannie Marshall on August 17, 1882.  The couple had one daughter named Genevieve.  Both Henry’s wife and daughter died about 10 years before him.  His house was just a few blocks from the Courthouse and still stands at 403 Church Street in Downtown Franklin.  Cook’s photo was chosen for the “Typical Confederate” to be sculpted for a statue in Baltimore.  The statue stands near the College of Art on Mount Royal Avenue and was dedicated in 1903.  He was also a Mason and a member of the United Confederate Veterans.  Henry Howe Cook died of Cancer on November 2, 1921 and is buried next to his wife and daughter in Mount Hope Cemetery. 

Portrait of Henry H. Cook from the Tennessee State Library and Archives

Boiling Springs Academy off of Moores Lane in Brentwood where Cook attended school.

Cook’s Grave in Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin, Section A

Dedication of the Confederate Monument in Baltimore in 1903.  The Confederate in the photo was modeled after Cook’s picture. 

Cook’s house at 403 Church Street in Franklin, TN.

Cook was a member of the John L. McEwen Bivouac of the United Confederate Veterans in Franklin.  His application is here.