Henry Cochrane is one of the “Old Breed” of U.S. Marines. How old was this old-breed fellow? He served during the American Civil War — which, by any definition, was part of the Old Corps.
As Cochrane advanced in seniority, he became what some have described as “cantankerous.” Others argue that Henry Cochrane was an officer with uncompromising professional standards, which was not altogether true. While Cochrane demanded respect from his subordinates, he often did not treat his superiors with the respect they deserved. He was often vocal in his criticism of senior officers. Part of the explanation for this may be that during the Civil War, Cochrane served as a judge advocate prosecuting cases against senior officers.
Cochrane’s long service was controversial, starting at the outset of his 45 years of active service. Relying upon his father’s political connections, Cochrane applied for a Marine Corps commission in 1861. At the time, regulations forbade the commissioning of anyone under the age of 20—and Henry was only 18 — so no sooner had his commission come through than the Commandant of the Marine Corps rescinded it.
Cochrane immediately appealed to the Secretary of the Navy for an appointment — and received one to Master’s Mate[1]. While serving in the Navy, Cochrane participated in the following Civil War engagements: the DuPont Expedition, battle of Port Royal, S.C., action with Thunderbolt Battery, Warsaw Sound, Ga., the blockade of the ports and harbors at Charleston and Savannah, expeditions to Cumberland, Ga. and St. John’s River, Florida, and the capture of Fernandina off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida.
After serving nearly two years at sea, Cochrane gained critical insight into the workings of the Navy and Marine Corps. When he reached his 20th birthday, Cochrane reapplied to the Marine Corps for an officer’s commission, which was approved. On 23 May 1863, he stood just outside the Marine Barracks, 8th and I Streets in Washington DC.
In mid-November 1863, Second Lieutenant Cochrane was assigned to accompany the United States Marine Corps Band to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Soon after the presidential party boarded the train, Cochrane sat adjacent to the President of the United States. In a work titled “With Lincoln to Gettysburg,” Cochrane described the beginning of his journey.
“The last car was a kind of president’s or director’s car with about one-third of the rear partitioned off into a room with the seats around it, and in this room, I found myself seated vis-a-vis the President” Cochrane. The rest of the car was furnished in the usual manner. I happened to have bought a New York Herald before leaving and, observing that Mr. Lincoln was without a paper, offered it to him. He took it and thanked me, saying, ‘I like to see what they say about us,’ meaning himself and the generals in the field. The news that morning was not particularly exciting, being about Burnside at Knoxville, Sherman at Chattanooga, and Meade on the Rapidau, all, however, expecting trouble. He read for a little while and then began to laugh at some wild guesses in the paper about pending movements. He laughed very heartily, and it was pleasant to see his sad face lighted up. He was looking very badly at that particular time, being sallow, sunken-eyed, thin, care-worn and very quiet[2]. After a while, he returned the paper and began to talk, remarking, among other things, that when he had first passed over that road on his way to Congress in 1847 …”
During the Civil War, Cochrane served at sea and ashore with Admiral Farragut at Mobile Bay. In a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Farragut commended Cochrane for his coolness under fire. Even during these early days of service, however, Cochrane was a stickler for military correctness in all things — administration, operations, logistics, and the proper conduct of officers. Not everyone welcomed Cochrane’s criticism, particularly officers senior to him. As it turned out, however, Cochrane was one of the more insightful officers ever to wear the uniform of a United States Marine.
After the Civil War, Cochrane was promoted to First Lieutenant and continued his service at sea. In 1869, Cochrane sailed aboard the USS Jamestown in the South Pacific. His commanding officer was Commander William Truxton. In a magazine series titled Adventures of Henry Clay Cochrane, Cochrane was supposedly unhappy with Truxton’s lack of military bearing. The magazine reported that with unfailing regularity, Truxton turned out all hands on the first Tuesday of each month and read them the articles of war. For Cochrane, his commanding officer was a cross to bear from the first day because he believed Truxton to be a poor seaman. Each time the ship’s bearings were taken, a great surprise was shown when the ship’s actual location was determined. Furthermore, Truxton frequently appeared on the deck in his bedroom slippers and an old frock coat. It was a practice that sent the fastidious Cochrane into fits of anger.
Until the turn of the century, Marine Corps service took the form of duty either at a Marine barracks or sea duty. Marine barracks were shore installations assigned to specific security and training duties. In the City of Washington, for example, the Marine Barracks provided security for the White House, Navy Yard, and home of the Marine Corps Band. The usual complement of a ship’s Marine detachment consisted of one officer and fifteen enlisted men. The duties of Marines at sea were to serve as orderlies to the ship’s captain, participate in honors and ceremonies, crew the ship’s main guns, and form landing parties when directed.[3] Marines also enforced order and discipline among the ship’s crew (the bluejackets), much to the dismay of naval officers, who viewed the Marines as too strict.
Life aboard a ship at sea was a miserable existence — for both Marines and sailors. The food was of poor quality and lacking in nourishment. Fresh water was strictly rationed. Ship’s officers fared little better than the enlisted men. Quarters for all hands were cramped and damp, particularly after heavy seas. Cochrane preferred to sleep on deck in a hammock, hoping to catch what cool air was available.
For Marines and sailors alike, duty at sea was endless repetition: training, training, and more training. Cochrane divided his ship’s landing party into four companies; he assigned six Marines to one gun. Drill for Marines included artillery support and small arms (rifle marksmanship) training. He also exercised his Marines in repelling boarders.
At sea, it was a major effort to keep weapons free from the effects of the salt water, and in this, Cochrane’s Marines found him unforgiving when even the slightest touch of rust was found on any weapon in their charge. In addition to rifle training, he instructed his Marines in the finer points of the Sharps and Hawken carbines. Cochrane relied upon Emory Upton’s Infantry Tactics — the Landing Party Manual of the day. Cochrane’s instruction occurred each day at sea, particularly concerning artillery doctrine.[4]
The USS Jamestown’s voyage lasted three years, so if we are to believe magazine articles about Cochrane, he likely experienced many fits of anger. At one point in the cruise, Cochrane wrote that he was ready to quit the Marines. Despite his frustrations, however, he held on for another 34 years.
Cochrane’s journeys also took him to North Africa, the Middle East, and Moscow as an American representative at the coronation of Czar Alexander III. He also served ashore at Guantanamo Bay in the Spanish-American War at the turn of the century and commanded U.S. Marines at the Universal Exposition in Paris. His final overseas assignment was as commander of Marine forces in the U.S. relief expedition to China during the Boxer Rebellion.
Having achieved the rank of Colonel, Cochrane was placed on the retired list on March 10, 1905, the 42nd anniversary of his Marine Corps commission. He and his wife returned home to Chester, Pennsylvania, where he remained active in public speaking and civic activities. On April 13, 1911, the President of the United States appointed Cochrane a brigadier general on the retired list. Cochrane died from a heart attack while in residence on April 27, 1913.
Henry’s retirement was not the end of the Cochrane military legacy. His son, Edward Lull Cochrane, served as a Vice Admiral before retiring in 1947. Grandsons Edward Lull Cochrane Jr. and Richard Lull Cochrane each completed service in the Navy as captains, with Richard surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. It is also interesting to note that each of his grandsons commanded U. S. Navy combat ships named in honor of fallen Marines.
For an excellent read about General Cochrane, I recommend a book titled Smart and Faithful Force by Lieutenant Colonel (Dr.) James Holden Rhodes, USMC (Retired) (available at Amazon.com).
Endnotes:
[1] At the time of his appointment in 1861, a Master’s Mate was an experienced seaman, but after the Civil War, the rating Master’s Mate changed to “Mate.” As a “mate,” Cochrane’s duties would be to carry out the wishes of his commanding officer. Aboard the USS Pembina (a gunboat), Cochrane supervised two sections of deck guns during several engagements with Confederate forces — which, given his lack of experience, makes one wonder how well he performed his duties.
[2] Modern historians attempt to explain Lincoln’s sickly appearance in this way: he was suffering from the smallpox virus known as variola major; beyond this, President Lincoln was aware that the people of Pennsylvania were not among his staunchest supporters. Many Pennsylvanians petitioned Harrisburg to impede black migration; they were worried about the influx of Negroes to their state. There was a concerted effort by Democrats to declare Lincoln’s draft emancipation order unconstitutional. Pennsylvania Democrats saw Lincoln as a tyrant and an enemy of state’s rights. No doubt these were matters that weighed heavily on President Lincoln’s mind.
[3] The size of a Marine Detachment (and the duties of Marines aboard ship) depended on the size of the ship and the desires of the ship’s captain. The size of ship’s detachments increased as the Navy’s ships became larger.
[4] Much of the debate over just how the United States would take its proper place in the greater world revolved around a pair of extraordinary thinkers —one from the Navy and one from the Army— whose proposals would influence American strategy and tactics for decades to follow. Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan’s theories helped lead to the creation of so-called big gun navies as tools of nationalism; Colonel Emory Upton had a tremendous influence on arms and tactics for the American infantry. A brevet major general by age 25, Stephen Ambrose described Upton as “the epitome of a professional soldier;” a man who was as much at home in the field as Admiral Mahan was afloat. Everywhere he went, Upton displayed immense courage and devised startling new tactics, sometimes on the battlefield itself.
Fix Bayonets! 