June 20, 1798 – July 21, 1863
A member of the famed "Fighting McCooks," sixty-five-year-old Daniel McCook was mortally wounded during the Battle of Buffington Island on July 19, 1863; he died two days later, on July 21.
Daniel McCook was born on June 20, 1798 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He was the second son of George and Mary McCormack McCook. McCook attended Jefferson College (later renamed Washington and Jefferson College) in Washington, Pennsylvania; however, it remains unknown if he graduated.
On August 28, 1817, Daniel McCook married Martha Latimer. The couple had twelve children, nine boys and three girls. In 1826, McCook moved his family to New Lisbon, Ohio and later settled in Carrollton, where he practiced law.
When the American Civil War began, Daniel McCook volunteered for service and was commissioned as a major in the Union Army at the age of sixty-three years. Soon thereafter, each of McCook’s eight living sons, volunteered to serve the Union. McCook’s brother, John, and John’ss five sons also volunteered. Collectively, the fifteen volunteers became known as the “Fighting McCooks.” McCook and his sons were known as the “Tribe of Dan.” His brother and his sons were known as the “Tribe of John.” More men from the McCook family served the Union during the Civil War than any other family in the nation.
Four of Daniel McCook’s sons (Latimer, Robert, Daniel Jr., and Charles) died from wounds received during the Civil War. Daniel McCook was mortally wounded by enemy fire during the Battle of Buffington Island on July 19, 1863; he died two days later, on July 21.Daniel McCook was buried with full military honors in Cincinnati’s Spring Grove Cemetery.
