Nelson D Cole

Early life

Cole was born on November 18, 1833, in Rhinebeck, New York. He was raised and educated in Rhinebeck and then worked at a lumberyard in New York City. Cole also supervised the building of a sugar cane factory in Cuba. In 1854, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and lived there working in a lumberyard.

Civil War

At the beginning of the American Civil War, Cole volunteered for the Union army. He became the captain of Company A, 5th Missouri Volunteer Infantry (3 months, 1861). While in this organization, he was severely wounded at the Battle of Wilson's Creek, in August 1861. Cole then served as a captain in the 1st Missouri Volunteer Infantry Regiment (3 Years Organization) and in the 1st Missouri Volunteer Artillery Regiment (re-designated the 1st Missouri Volunteer Light Artillery Regiment), participating in the Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi. In 1863 Cole was promoted to Colonel of the 2nd Missouri Volunteer Light Artillery Regiment,

Indian Wars

At the end of the Civil War in 1865, Cole and seven batteries of his 2nd Missouri Artillery were sent to Omaha, Nebraska. There, he assumed command of the right, or eastern, column of the Powder River Expedition, which was to be a military expedition against the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in Montana and Dakota Territory. Cole's column, which consisted mostly of cavalry and mounted artillery, started northwest on July 1, and crossed through present day Nebraska and South Dakota, before reaching the Powder River in Montana in late August, 1865. At that time, Cole's men were low on supplies, and they began skirmishing with Indian warriors who attacked the column. In September, Cole began a withdrawal toward Fort Laramie, and was forced to abandon his wagons after many of the columns' horses died. Battles fought by Cole and his men during the expedition include Alkali Creek (Sept. 1), Dry Creek (Sept. 8) and Little Powder River (Sept. 10). The other columns encountered similar results, and the Powder River Expedition was deemed a failure. On November 18, 1865, (his 32nd birthday) Cole was mustered out of the Union army.

Later life

Cole moved back to St. Louis, Missouri and continued in the lumber business, eventually owning a planing mill. In 1868, with his business partner, Stephen Glass, Cole opened the Cole and Glass Manufacturing Company. Cole served on the St. Louis city council for six years, and was also a commissioner for Lawfayette Park.

Spanish–American War service

In May 1898, after the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, Cole was commissioned a brigadier general in the United States army by President William McKinley, and he applied for active service in Cuba or the Philippines. He was instead assigned to command the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Second Army Corps. The brigade was composed of three volunteer infantry regiments, the 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, 1st Delaware Volunteer Infantry, 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, and the 3rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry; it saw no action in the war. During the winter of 1898–99, while in command of his brigade at Columbia, South Carolina, Cole developed a serious cold. He was mustered out of the service of the United States for the last time in March 1899.

Death

Cole died from complications of his illness on July 31, 1899, in St. Louis, Missouri. He is buried in the Bellefontain Cemetery, in north St. Louis.