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Captain · U.S. Army

Walter Howard Cooke

Captain Walter Howard Cooke, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on July 21, 1861 at Bull Run, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War July 21, 1861

Captain Walter Howard Cooke was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 21, 1861 at Bull Run, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company K, 4th Pennsylvania Infantry Militia. Cooke was 23 years old.

9 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on May 19, 1887, 25 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Major.

Cooke was born on July 21, 1838 in Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Cooke died on January 28, 1909 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, at the age of 70. He is buried at St. Thomas Church Cemetery in Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania.

Cooke is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 380 credited to Pennsylvania.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Voluntarily served as an aide on the staff of Col. David Hunter and participated in the battle, his term of service having expired on the previous day.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Places

  • Born: Norristown — map
  • Died: Norristown — map
  • Buried: Saint Thomas Episcopal Church Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →

Timeline

  1. July 21, 1838
    Born in Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
  2. July 21, 1861
    Act of valor — Bull Run, Virginia
    Age 23. Company K, 4th Pennsylvania Infantry Militia
  3. May 19, 1887
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. January 28, 1909
    Died in Norristown, Pennsylvania
    Age 70.
  5. Resting place
    St. Thomas Church Cemetery
    Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania

Biography

Walter Howard Cooke (21 July 1838 – 28 January 1909) was a Union Army officer who fought in the American Civil War. Cooke received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the First Battle of Bull Run in Virginia on 21 July 1861. He was honored with the award on 19 May 1887. He undertook several short periods of service in the Army before being discharged in 1863 and returning to civilian life. He then undertook a variety of business roles, including a directorship of a bank in Norristown and charity work. He died in 1909 at the age of 70.

From the Wikipedia article “Walter H. Cooke”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on July 21, 1861

Adelbert Ames First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1861 John Frederic Hartranft Colonel · Army Civil War · 1861 Abiather J. Knowles Private · Army Civil War · 1861 OM Owen McGough Corporal · Army Civil War · 1861 JM John G. Merritt Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1861 CM Charles Joseph Murphy First Lieutenant & Quartermaster · Army Civil War · 1861 HW Henry W. Wheeler Private · Army Civil War · 1861 Orlando Bolivar Willcox Colonel · Army Civil War · 1861 William Herbert Withington Captain · Army Civil War · 1861

More Civil War recipients from Pennsylvania

Sylvester Hopkins Martin Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 CB Charles Breyer Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 JD John P. Donaldson Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 FH Franklin Hogan Corporal · Army Civil War · 1864 JE James Edgar Engle Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 HB Henry G. Bonebrake First Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865
Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.