| Notes |
- For research purposes only:
The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volu me III
C
Coxe, Alfred Conkling
page 8
Cox, William Ruffin, representative, was born in Halifax county, N.C., Mar ch 11, 1832; son of Thomas and Olivia (Norfleet) Cox. His ancestors were E nglish and Scotch-Irish and settled in America early in the eighteenth cen tury. His father died in 1836 and his mother removed to Nashville, Tenn ., where he was graduated in letters at Franklin college in 1851 and in l aw at the famous school at Lebanon, Tenn., in 1853. He was admitted to t he bar in 1853 and practised in Nashville, 1853-57. He returned to North C arolina in 1857 and engaged in agriculture in Edgecombe county. In 18 59 he removed to Raleigh, N.C., and was an unsuccessful candidate on the D emocratic ticket for representative in the state legislature, being defeat ed by thirteen votes. In 1861 he was commissioned by Governor Ellis maj or of the 2d regiment North Carolina state troops, commanded by Col. C. C. Tew. When Colonel Tew was killed at Sharpsburg, Lieut.-Col. W. P. Byn um was promoted colonel, and Major Cox lieutenant-colonel, and on the resi gnation of Colonel Bynum, Cox became [p.8] colonel, being commission ed in March, 1863. He was wounded three times during the battle of Chancel lorsville, May 3, 1863, and was officially commended in the report of Gene ral Ramseur for his chivalry and for remaining with his command till he w as exhausted. He joined his regiment in 1864 after their return from Penns ylvania and took part in the battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvani a. In the battle of May 12, 1864, he was again in Ramseur's brigade and f or his part in the battle received the thanks of Generals Lee and Ewe ll on the field. After this battle he was promoted to the command of the b rigade composed of the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 14th and 30th N.C. regiments, not withstanding the fact that he was junior colonel. After the battle of Co ld Harbor he was detailed to the relief of Lynchburg, serving in Early's c orps and was with that general in the Maryland expedition in the batt le of Monocacy and in the Shenandoah campaign of the fall of 1864. He th en joined the army of northern Virginia before Petersburg and was with Gor don's corps in the attempt to break the Federal lines at Fort Steadma n. He led the division to the last charge at Appomattox and with his briga de was covering the retreat when he was called to the rear. In executing t his maneuver his brigade faced about with the steadiness of veterans on pa rade and poured so Sudden and deadly a volley into the ranks of the overwh elming numbers of Federals pressing the retreat, as temporarily to check t heir attempt to capture the command. He received eleven wounds during h is service in the Confederate army and after the surrender resumed the pra ctice of law in Raleigh, N.C. He was president of the Chatham Coalfield ra ilroad; solicitor of the Raleigh district for six years; chairman of the D emocratic state executive committee for five years; a delegate for the sta te at large to the Democratic national convention of 1876; circuit jud ge of the 6th judicial district of North Carolina, 1877-80; representati ve in the 47th, 48th and 49th congresses, 1881-87, and secretary of the Un ited States senate as successor to Gen. Anson G. McCook, serving in the 5 3d and succeeding congresses. He was married in 1857 to a daughter of Jam es S. Battle of Edgecombe county, and after her death in 1880 he was marri ed to Fannie A., daughter of the Rt. Rev. T. B. Lyman of Raleigh, N.C.
SOURCE: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?&gsfn=&gsln=&gskw=north +carolina&prox=1&ti=0&db=dona_all&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&gss=angs&fh=11 0
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Abt 1596 - 1632 (~ 36 years)
[1] 