What Willie, Signed (1 results)

WILLIAM W. COOKE (1846-1876). Cooke was a Civil War officer. He was Custers adjutant and was killed at Little Big Horn. He wrote the famous message to Frederick Benteen, Benteen. Come On. Big village. Be quick. Bring packs. WW Cooke. P.S. Bring Packs shortly before his death. Cookes body was found close to Custers and he was scalped.ANNA ABBOTT COOKE (1827-1906). Anna Abbott Cooke was a Canadian woman and the mother of William W. Cooke. Through her son, Anna became closely connected with the other military families of the Seventh Cavalry, leaning on them when her son was killed during the Battle of the Little Bighorn.ALS. 4pg. September 27, 1876. Hamilton [Ohio]. An autograph letter signed A. A. Cooke to Libbie Custer. My dear Mrs. Custer, Your letter was received and I have done as well as I could. As you wished me so the loss of my darling son Willie has broken my poor heart, but what can we do but submit sometimes my anguish is so great that I think I cannot live I think of you continually the loss of your dear noble husband is very hard to bear and dearhe was here with my now dead son last Autumn, both so full of health and happy. What can we do. When I think of my darling Willies cruel death I cannot be comforted, in reading over some of his letters, after his arrival at Fort Riley [Kansas], you were so kind to him. In one letter he wrote - Mrs. Custer says I belong to the Custer family. You knew him so intimately my dear Mrs. Custer that you could have told Mr. [Frederick] Whitaker more interesting things about Willie than I can if you were equal to the task. I must see you as soon as you are well enough to see me. I think I would feel better to know from you how now my darling spent the winter. I have not seen anyone that knew him. What cowards [Alfred] Terry and [Marcus] Reno have proved themselves to be. Will they never be punished for their conduct. I feel so much for the Gens father and mother. Now his dear mother must suffer as muchto her with much love when you feel well enough do write to me. I think dear Willies name should be associated with the Generals death, they were suchin life. With love believe me yoursympathetic friend A A Cooke All send theirlove. In 1876, shortly after Custers death, the British writer Frederick Whittaker wrote a glamorized biography of Custer entitled the Complete Life of Gen. George A. Custer; in the book, he blamed Captain Frederick Benteen and Major Marcus Reno for the defeat and death of Custer. The letter is written cross-hatched on black bordered mourning stationery. It comes with the original mailing envelope addressed to Mrs. G.A. Custer Monroe Michigan, although the stamp was removed. The letter has mailing folds and is in very fine condition. An amazing content letter written just a couple months after Little Big Horn and the death of her son.