Talk:Philip St. George Cooke

J. E. B. Stuart
Did you know that Jeb Stuart was Cooke's son-in-law? I learned that from Smithsonian's Great Battles of the Civil War series. 68.228.149.192 (talk) 04:06, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Oops. Sorry, forgot that was in there. Anyway, did Cooke ever feel a great affection over Jeb's death at Yellow Tavern, even after he seceded from the Union? 68.228.149.192 (talk) 04:09, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

It seems probable to me that this PSGC is of some relation to Philip St. George Cocke, yet another wealthy Virginia general who commanded a brigade for the CSA at the First Battle of Bull Run. Cocke was the only Confederate general to commit suicide, on December 26, 1861. Cocke does not yet have a Wikipedia entry. Sofa King (talk) 03:59, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Cavalry tactics manuals: clarification
Double rank tactics had been the standard in the US mounted arm, which used J.R. Poinsett's tactics manual accepted by the War Dept. in 1841. It was designed to allow Dragoons to dismount and fight against Infantry (also in a double rank) on a somewhat equal footing, while also providing shock value to the charge. Previous Napoleonic era tactics had all employed 2 or even 3 ranks. When fighting against Indians in the American West, this system was not ideal. Cooke's experiences led him to devise a new system which was better for this new type of warfare. The Civil War had more in common with previous wars than with the Indian battles, and Poinsett's Tactics continued to be used throughout the Civil War. Don't confuse the number of RANKS in each unit with the number of LINES the units are deployed in. 2603:6080:DC40:24EE:65A7:678D:19:A4 (talk) 21:28, 13 May 2023 (UTC)