April 26, 1820 – August 23, 1869
A member of the famed "Fighting McCooks," Major Latimer A. McCook served as a surgeon with the Army of the Tennessee during the Civil War.
Latimer A. McCook was born at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, on April 26, 1820. He was the eldest son of Daniel McCook and Martha Latimer (McCook). McCook moved with his family to New Lisbon, Ohio in 1826 and later settled in Carrollton. He was educated at Jefferson College in Pennsylvania and studied medicine with his uncle, Dr. George McCook, before receiving his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Soon after the American Civil War began, McCook joined the Union Army as an assistant surgeon. He rose to the rank of major in the Army of the Tennessee, serving with the 31st Regiment of the Illinois Volunteers. McCook was wounded during the Siege of Vicksburg (May 18-July 4, 1863) and again during William T. Sherman’s march north from Savannah in 1864. McCook survived the war but died on August 23, 1869 from complications from his wounds. He was buried in Cincinnati’s Spring Grove Cemetery.
McCook was a member of the “Fighting McCooks,” fifteen family members who served the Union during the Civil War. McCook’s father, Daniel McCook, and his eight sons who served in the war were known as the “Tribe of Dan.” McCook’s uncle, John McCook, and five of his sons who served in the war were known as the “Tribe of John.” Daniel McCook, along with three of his sons (Robert, Daniel Jr., and Charles) in addition to Latimer, died from wounds received during the Civil War.