Man's father fought in Civil War
Charles Cox, 93, of Pawnee poses with a photo of his parents and a picture of himself in the Army in 1942. Cox is one of the the nation's few remaining sons of a Union Civil War Veteran. RHETT MORGAN / Tulsa World
Published: 6/17/2009 2:18 AM
Last Modified: 6/17/2009 3:16 AM
PAWNEE — Charles Cox traveled in a covered wagon, courted in a Model T and served on four continents in the Army.
His history also contains this jaw-dropping nugget: Cox's father fought in the Civil War.
Cox is the son of Joseph H. Cox, a Illinois infantryman for the Union Army from 1862-65. Charles was born when his father, who married three times, was 73.
"I think I was an unexpected child," said Cox, 93, of Pawnee.
Today, he's a link to Lincoln.
Only 52 children of Union Civil War Veterans are still living, according to the Pennsylvania-based Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. The Sons of Confederate Veterans has located more than 100 sons and the United Daughters of the Confederacy has located more than 150 daughters.
Charles Cox wasn't on the list, which chronicles only one Civil War child from Oklahoma, a daughter.
"... Unless the order learns of family members of a veteran due to a news item or the survivors make themselves known to our order, it is not possible to know of them," David Demmy Sr., executive director of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, wrote in an e-mail. "I am not aware of any other organization that may attempt to contact and tabulate these folks ... ."
Cox shrugs off his unusual status, mainly because of the arithmetic of it all. Cox was 13 when his father died in 1928.
"My older brother had more to do with my childhood than anybody else," Cox said recently from an easy chair in his home. "He really was the one who saw to it that I was taken care of. I've never forgotten how he was so involved in my life."
J.H. Cox wrote down his remembrances of the war on stationery dated July 10, 1875. His family still has the original copies and other documents detailing his colorful life.
J.H. fathered 12 children from his three marriages, including eight from his last wife, Emma Thurston, whom he wed in 1889. When he made the first of two land runs into Indian Territory in '89, he wrote to his wife in a letter dated April 19, remarking on the difficulty of crossing the Salt Fork River.
"Now came the critical part of our journey," J.H. wrote. "Two men and one team had already drowned, and the ferry men were all drunk but I decided to risk it. I put harness and everything in the buggy, laid my overcoat off, and got Henry Gazway to go with me and lead the gray mare. I took poor Rompy who could barely breathe with distemper."
He continued: "The men behind whipped their horses in, and we hung to their halters. They had to swim almost from the bank. The gray mare swam like a duck but Rompy struggled for about 5 rods (came near pulling me in) and turned over on his side and gave up. Men from the shore yelled, 'Let him go, he will drown.' Those on the boat said, "Give him some more rope or he will drown.'"
In an April 22, 1889, letter to Emma, J.H. complained about food. "I don't think I shall stay as long as I intended, as I have had a falling out at my boarding house with the cook," he wrote. "The pancakes don't come up to standard. I went to turn one and it fell 4 1/4 sections adjoining. Please tell me what to do. My stove is a daisy, but I am sadly in need of a cook."
It was in Arkansas, near a place called West Fork, that Cox was treated for diphtheria at about age 4. He recalls the physician saying, "I don't know whether he will make it through the night."
"I proved that they were wrong. I'm still here," Cox said.
The family eventually settled back in Pawnee. Cox married Elna Griesel, a switchboard operator whom he first met in a Pawnee telephone office.
"Dad went in there to call a girlfriend and saw mother," Gazin said. "He thought she was a pretty good lookin' woman, and he might just have to get to know her."
Cox did medic-related duties while in World War II, working in such places as Capetown, South Africa; Brazil; Canada; India; and France.
"I got to be a world traveler," he said. "Wherever they had a problem, they sent me."
When the war ended, Cox made a career of education, first teaching at a one-room schoolhouse before spending roughly 30 years in the Pawnee school system. His wife of nearly 67 years died last May.
"It's a life that I don't really have to apologize for because the things I have done have been beneficial to a lot of people," said Cox, a company commander for the Oklahoma National Guard from 1954-60. "My life has been respectable. I have no reason for regretting. I've managed to survive all this time and I'm crowding 100."
His history also contains this jaw-dropping nugget: Cox's father fought in the Civil War.
Cox is the son of Joseph H. Cox, a Illinois infantryman for the Union Army from 1862-65. Charles was born when his father, who married three times, was 73.
"I think I was an unexpected child," said Cox, 93, of Pawnee.
Today, he's a link to Lincoln.
Only 52 children of Union Civil War Veterans are still living, according to the Pennsylvania-based Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. The Sons of Confederate Veterans has located more than 100 sons and the United Daughters of the Confederacy has located more than 150 daughters.
Charles Cox wasn't on the list, which chronicles only one Civil War child from Oklahoma, a daughter.
"... Unless the order learns of family members of a veteran due to a news item or the survivors make themselves known to our order, it is not possible to know of them," David Demmy Sr., executive director of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, wrote in an e-mail. "I am not aware of any other organization that may attempt to contact and tabulate these folks ... ."
Cox shrugs off his unusual status, mainly because of the arithmetic of it all. Cox was 13 when his father died in 1928.
"My older brother had more to do with my childhood than anybody else," Cox said recently from an easy chair in his home.
Documented life in letters
Joseph H. Cox was a corporal of Company F, 127th Illinois Infantry. Enlisting in August 1862, he served in the 15th Corps under Gen. William Sherman before being wounded and taken to the notorious Andersonville Prison in Georgia, the first of several POW camps in which he was held. He escaped in December 1864 while being moved to Jacksonville prison and reached the Union lines the following February.J.H. Cox wrote down his remembrances of the war on stationery dated July 10, 1875. His family still has the original copies and other documents detailing his colorful life.
J.H. fathered 12 children from his three marriages, including eight from his last wife, Emma Thurston, whom he wed in 1889. When he made the first of two land runs into Indian Territory in '89, he wrote to his wife in a letter dated April 19, remarking on the difficulty of crossing the Salt Fork River.
"Now came the critical part of our journey," J.H. wrote. "Two men and one team had already drowned, and the ferry men were all drunk but I decided to risk it. I put harness and everything in the buggy, laid my overcoat off, and got Henry Gazway to go with me and lead the gray mare. I took poor Rompy who could barely breathe with distemper."
He continued: "The men behind whipped their horses in, and we hung to their halters. They had to swim almost from the bank. The gray mare swam like a duck but Rompy struggled for about 5 rods (came near pulling me in) and turned over on his side and gave up. Men from the shore yelled, 'Let him go, he will drown.' Those on the boat said, "Give him some more rope or he will drown.'"
In an April 22, 1889, letter to Emma, J.H. complained about food. "I don't think I shall stay as long as I intended, as I have had a falling out at my boarding house with the cook," he wrote. "The pancakes don't come up to standard. I went to turn one and it fell 4 1/4 sections adjoining. Please tell me what to do. My stove is a daisy, but I am sadly in need of a cook."
Traveling the world
Charles Cox was the last child born to J.H. and Emma, who was 30 years her husband's junior. When J.H. purchased property in Arkansas, he rode a train there while sending his wife, teenage son and Charles in a covered wagon, said Gail Gazin, the younger of Charles' two daughters.It was in Arkansas, near a place called West Fork, that Cox was treated for diphtheria at about age 4. He recalls the physician saying, "I don't know whether he will make it through the night."
"I proved that they were wrong. I'm still here," Cox said.
The family eventually settled back in Pawnee. Cox married Elna Griesel, a switchboard operator whom he first met in a Pawnee telephone office.
"Dad went in there to call a girlfriend and saw mother," Gazin said. "He thought she was a pretty good lookin' woman, and he might just have to get to know her."
Cox did medic-related duties while in World War II, working in such places as Capetown, South Africa; Brazil; Canada; India; and France.
"I got to be a world traveler," he said. "Wherever they had a problem, they sent me."
When the war ended, Cox made a career of education, first teaching at a one-room schoolhouse before spending roughly 30 years in the Pawnee school system. His wife of nearly 67 years died last May.
"It's a life that I don't really have to apologize for because the things I have done have been beneficial to a lot of people," said Cox, a company commander for the Oklahoma National Guard from 1954-60. "My life has been respectable. I have no reason for regretting. I've managed to survive all this time and I'm crowding 100."
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