Civil War Wallet of Lieutenant George Spencer Cobbs, 8th New Hampshire Infantry Captured and Executed at Moreauville, Louisiana / SOLD
Civil War Wallet of Lieutenant George Spencer Cobbs, 8th New Hampshire Infantry Captured and Executed at Moreauville, Louisiana - Inventory Number: PER 394 / SOLD
Civil War wallet or billfold with the embossed makers mark of Cobb & Johnson, Lancaster, Massachusetts. The inside of the billfold bears the ink inscription “Lieut George S. Cobbs Exeter N.H. Co B. 8th Regt. N. H. Vol.” George Spencer Cobbs enlisted in October 1861 as a sergeant in the 8th New Hampshire Infantry. He was captured in June 1863 at Port Hudson and again in July. Cobbs’ luck ran out when he was captured a third time in May 1864 near Moreauville, Louisiana. Adjutant T. C. Prescott related the incident in his diary. “Quite a number of prisoners were captured and some of the men we had lost were retaken. But as they found that they would lose the officer they had captured, a rebel soldier took the revolver from Lieut. Cobbs’ own belt and shot him through the breast before he could be prevented. Lieut. Cobb died soon after being shot, and we buried him on Madam Wilson's place near the banks of the Red River. This was murder; pure and simple, cowardly and mean; yet not the only known one committed by rebel hands.” Lieutenant J. J. Nolan recounted “We fell back on the regiment. I met Capt. Healy and told him that there were about six hundred of them, and if we charged on them we could beat them back. Capt. Healy placed himself at the head of the regiment and we drove them back yelping in less than two minutes. When I got to the tree where poor Cobb had been sitting, he had just life enough to say. " John, they shot me with my own revolver," and died instantly. The fact was, they had just time to take his arms and not time to take him along we, charged back so quickly. We took one of their men prisoner and I had to follow Red. Pat Shea of Company K into the woods and take the reb away from him and send him to the rear with another man as Shea swore that he would kill him for the cowardly act of the enemy in murdering Cobbs.”
The wallet measures 4” by 2 ½” when folded and remains in very good condition. The lot includes a modern reprint of the 1892 A History of the Eighth Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteers by John M. Stanyan, which includes the aforementioned accounts about Cobbs’ murder.
George S. Cobbs -Residence Exeter NH; 32 years old. Enlisted on 10/20/1861 as a Sergeant. On 12/20/1861 he mustered into "B" Co. NH 8th Infantry. He was Killed on 5/14/1864 at Moreauville, LA. He was listed as: POW 6/14/1863 Port Hudson, LA. Re-captured 7/9/1863. POW 5/14/1864 Moreauville, LA. Promotions: 2nd Lieut 12/16/1863. Other Information: Born in Green Bay, WI .
The Veteran Battalion, Eighth New Hampshire Volunteers, was at Natchez, Miss., January 1 to October 28, 1865.
E N G A G E M E N T S .
Labadieville (or Georgia Landing), La. Oct. 27, 1862
Bayou Teche, La., (Co. B) Jan. 14, 1863
Port Hudson, La. Mar. 14, 1863
Bisland, La. April 12-14, 1863
Siege of Port Hudson, La. May 23 to July 9, 1863
Sabine Pass, La. Sept. 8, 1863
Henderson's Hill (or Bayou Rapides), La. Mar. 21, 1864
Natchitoches, La Mar. 31, 1864
Crump's Hill ( or Piney Woods ), La. April 2, 1864
Wilson's Farm, La. April 7, 1864
Sabine Cross Roads, La. April 8, 1864
Monett's Bluff (or Monett's Ferry ), La. April 23, 1864
Cane River, La. April 24, 1864
Near Alexandria, La. April 25, 1864
Alexandria, La. April 26, 1864
Near Alexandria, La. April 27 to May 7, 1864
Snaggy Point (or Pineville), La. May 1, 1864
Govenor Moore's Plantation, La. May 2, 1864
Moreauville (or Mansura, or Marksville), La. May 14-16, 1864
Bayou de Glaize, La May 17, 1864
Yellow Bayou, La May 18, 1864
Inventory Number: PER 394 / SOLD