Nelson D. Cole

Nelson D. Cole

Born	(1833-11-18)November 18, 1833 Rhinebeck, New York
Died	July 31, 1899(1899-07-31) (aged 76) St. Louis, Missouri
Buried at	Bellefontain Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri
Allegiance	Missouri United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1861–1865 (USA) 1898–1899 (USA)
Rank	Captain (USV) Colonel (USV) Brigadier General (USV)
Unit	5th Missouri Volunteer Infantry (3 months, 1861) 1st Missouri Volunteer Infantry Regiment (3 Years Organization) 1st Missouri Volunteer Artillery Regiment 1st Missouri Volunteer Light Artillery Regiment
Commands held	2nd Missouri Volunteer Light Artillery Regiment (1863–1865). 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Second Army Corps (1898–1899).
Battles/wars	American Civil War Wilson's Creek Siege of Vicksburg American Indian Wars Sioux Wars Powder River Expedition Battle of Alkali Creek Battle of Dry Fork Little Powder River Spanish–American War Served within Continental U.S.
Other work	lumber planing mill owner, politician

Nelson D. Cole (1833–1899), was a United States Army officer, American lumber planing mill owner, and politician, from Rhinebeck, New York.^[1]

Early life

Nelson D. Cole was born on November 18, 1833, in Rhinebeck, New York. He was raised and educated in Rhinebeck and then worked at a lumberyard in New York City. Cole also supervised the building of a sugar cane factory in Cuba. In 1854, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and lived there working in a lumberyard.^[1]

Civil War

At the beginning of the American Civil War, Cole volunteered for the Union. He became the captain of Company A in the 5th Missouri Volunteer Infantry (3 months, 1861). While in this organization, he was severely wounded at the Battle of Wilson's Creek, in August of 1861. Cole also served as a captain in the 1st Missouri Volunteer Infantry Regiment (3 Years Organization), the 1st Missouri Volunteer Artillery Regiment, (redesignated the 1st Missouri Volunteer Light Artillery Regiment), and then was promoted to the Colonel of the 2nd Missouri Volunteer Light Artillery Regiment.

Indian Wars

Cole commanded the right, or eastern, column of the Powder River Expedition, from July 1 to October 4, 1865. During that campaign, he was the U.S. commander at the 1865 battles of Alkali Creek (Sept. 1), Dry Fork (Sept. 8) and the Little Powder River (Sept. 10). On November 18, 1865 (Cole's 32nd birthday) he was mustered out of the United States Army.^[1]

Later life

Later in 1865, Cole moved back to St. Louis, Missouri, and continued in the lumber business, owning a planing mill in that city. In 1868, with his business parter, Stephen Glass, Cole opened the Cole and Glass Manufacturing Company. Cole served on the St. Louis city council for six years, and also was a commissioner for Lawfayette Park.

Spanish–American War service

In May of 1898, after the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, Cole was commissioned a brigadier general in the U.S. Army by President William McKinley and applied for active service in Cuba or the Philippines. He was instead assigned to command the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Second Army Corps. The brigade was composed of three volunteer infantry regiments, including the 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, 1st Delaware Volunteer Infantry, the 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, and the 3rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry; it saw no action in the war. During the winter of 1898–99, while in command of his brigade at Columbia, South Carolina, Cole developed a serious cold. He was mustered out of the service of the United States for the last time in March 1899.

Death

Nelson D. Cole died from complications of his illness on July 31, 1899, in St. Louis, Missouri. He is buried in the Bellefontain Cemetery, in North St. Louis.^[1]

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wagner, David E.; Bennett, Lyman G. (2009). Powder River Odyssey: Nelson Cole's Western Campaign of 1865, The Journals of Lyman G. Bennett and Other Eyewitness Accounts. Arthur H. Clark Co. ISBN 978-0-87062-370-7.