Richard Wesley Cole (1819 - 1864)

Ancestors Descendants

Biography

Richard was born in 1819. Richard Cole moved his family from Alabama to Webster County, Mississippi in 1841. Later he moved to Black Hawk, Carroll County, MS. He bought a house in the town and farmed land in the 16th Section land just East of the town.

Richard Cole's service records show he enlisted in the 5th Mississippi Cavalry when it was formed in the summer of 1863. He was present with the regiment when it attacked the Union earthen fort at Collierville, TN, on November 3, 1863. At this battle, Col. J. Z. George was leading the 5th Miss. Cavalry as they charged on foot. The Union 2nd Iowa Cavalry fired volleys from their 5-shot Colt rifles and stopped the Confederates. Col. J. Z. George was captured. With a new commander, Lt-Col. James A. Barksdale, the 5th Mississippi Cavalry was still under the command General J. R. Chalmers, who was now under the command of General N. B. Forrest. They attacked a Union force advancing out of Memphis and moving through Tupelo. On February 22, 1864, they repulsed the Union forces at the Battle of Okolona. Lt-Col. James A. Barksdale was killed just west of the town and the Confederates also lost Lt-Col. Jeffrey Forrest, the younger brother of Gen. N. B. Forrest.

Richard Cole's archived service records state he was killed in the attack on Fort Pillow, Tenn on April 12, 1864. This battle was part of Forrest's West Tennessee Raid in March-April 1864. This battle was called the "Fort Pillow Massacre", as the Yankees lost over 250 soldiers, mostly black, and 219 captured. Even though it was erronously reported, not all of the fort was killed. There were 56 black soldiers captured. The Confederates had 100 killed or wounded. Included in the killed was Lt-Col. Wiley Reed, commanding the 5th Mississippi Cavalry, and Pvt Richard Cole. The 5th Mississippi Cavalry had the highest number of casualties in this battle: 18.

Note: The booklet "Military Annals of Carroll County" documents the history of the 5th Miss Cavalry, as well as other unit raised in the county. However, it states that a Pvt R. W. Cole was killed at Collierville, which does not agree with his service records in the National Archives.

Sources

• "Military Annals of Carroll County"; Greenwood Public Library, Greenwood Miss.

• "Fifth Mississippi Cavalry"; A Synopsis of Unit's History, 4 pgs, Hill College, Hillsboro, TX.

• Battle of Fort Pillow, including rosters of Confederate and Union casualties: [[1]]

• Rowland's History of 5th Mississippi Cavalry & other reference material: [[2]]

• Steve Cole, firsthand knowledge. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Steve and others.

• "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 ," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VXTK-99C : 4 November 2017), Richard Cole and Jane Jones, 11 Nov 1871; citing Cumberland, North Carolina, United States, p. , North Carolina State Archives Division of Archives and History; FHL microfilm 1,689,352.

• 1850 US Census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4LH-NVJ