The Education of a Staff Officer: The Life and Career of Samuel Cooper, 1798-1852

Abstract

Samuel Cooper was an officer in the United States Army from 1815-1861, and a Confederate States Army officer from 1861-1865. Cooper's long career as a staff officer in the U.S. Army culminated in his appointment to the post of adjutant general in 1852. With the onset of the sectional crisis in 1861, Cooper elected to resign from the U.S. Army. He accepted an assignment as the adjutant and inspector general of the Confederate Army, and he eventually became the highest ranking general of that army. This thesis concentrates upon Cooper's pre-1852 career in the U.S. Army. Cooper's experiences as an officer in the antebellum U.S. Army, although representative in many respects, were not entirely typical. He endured the low pay, slow promotion, and monotonous duty at remote outposts that accompanied nineteenth century army life. Yet Cooper, using a combination of natural ability, personal and political connections, and patience, was able to avoid many of the disadvantages of the antebellum army. More than most officers, he found ways to supplement his income, to circumvent the barriers to promotion, and to secure assignments in desirable locations. Thus, Cooper's career demonstrates both the difficulties nineteenth century army officers faced and the manner in which resourceful officers overcame them. Cooper's pre-1852 career left him uniquely qualified to assume the duties of adjutant general when the opportunity finally arose. Stationed in Washington, D.C. as a staff officer for twenty-seven of the thirty-seven between 1815 and 1852, Cooper had experience in the Adjutant General's Office, the Headquarters of the Army, and the War Department. His service as an artillery officer in garrison, a field staff officer, and an inspection officer enhanced his qualifications to be adjutant general. By 1852, Samuel Cooper possessed the administrative expertise required to perform the duties of adjutant general of the United States Army.