Joseph Randolph Cockerill
was born in Loudon County, Virginia, January 2, 1818. His father's name was Daniel Cockerill, of whom there is a separate sketch in this book, and his mother was Esther Craven. His father's family emigrated to Adams County, Ohio, in 1837, and located near Youngsville, in Scott Township. After coming to Ohio, he taught school for a while and afterwards in 1840 was elected county surveyor. In the same year he was married to Ruth Eylar, daughter of Judge Joseph Eylar, of Winchester, Ohio.
From 1840 to 1846, he was a school teacher and surveyor. In 1846, when Gen. Joseph Darlinton's term expired as clerk of the court of common pleas, Joseph R. Cockerill was appointed his successor, and as such served until the new constitution was adopted. He was elected to the fiftieth general assembly of Ohio, the first held under the new constitution. In this legislature, he was chairman of the committee on corporations, and as such drew that part of our revised statutes on corporations, which remains on the statute books today, substantially as he drew it, a monument to his knowledge as a lawyer.
On returning from the legislature, he studied law, and was admitted to the bar. In 1856, he was elected a member of the thirty-fifth congress from the sixth district of Ohio, composed of Adams, Highland, Brown and Clermont.
The writer remembers him as a lawyer prior to the Civil War. As a boy, for the first time, he went into the court house to listen to a trial. There was a party on trial for stealing watches. David Thomas was prosecuting and Cockerill defending. After hearing Thomas' opening argument, the writer concluded the defendant was guilty. Then after hearing Cockerill's argument, he was fully convinced that the defendant was innocent and ought to be acquitted.
In 1860, Mr. Cockerill was elected a delegate to the Charleston convention and attended. E. P. Evans offered to pay his expenses it he would take several copies of the New York Tribune and let it he known he was carrying them, but the offer was not entertained. In the split which ensued, Mr. Cockerill adhered to the Douglas wing of the party. When the war came on, Mr. Cockerill was fired with patriotism. He had no sympathy with the south, and thought the rebellion should be suppressed in the most vigorous manner.
On October 2, 1861, he was commissioned by Gov. Todd to organize the 70th Ohio Infantry Regiment, as its colonel. The camp of rendezvous was fixed at West Union, Ohio, and was called Camp Hamer. The regiment was raised in the counties of Adams and Brown. While it was organizing at West Union, Reuben Smith, from Oliver Township, came to West Union, got enthused and expressed treasonable sentiments. Col. Cockerill at once had him arrested and sent under a guard of the soldiers to the probate court where he was compelled to take the oath of allegiance. Once during the war, probably in 1862, Col. Cockerill was at home for a few days. During the time, there was a Democratic county convention in the court house and the war policy of the government was under discussion. Squire Jacob Rose, of Green Township, was speaking. He favored peace, and in his remarks, held out his right hand and said, "We must approach our southern brethren with the olive branch in the right hand." Then he extended his left hand and said, “We must also approach them with the olive branch in the left hand." Col. Cockerill was sitting in the audience in his full colonel's uniform and when Squire Rose extended his left hand, the colonel sprang to his feet and extended both his arms, shook his fists at Rose, and said in most emphatic tones, "No, we must approach them with a sword in each hand." Col. Cockerill displayed great bravery in the battle of Shiloh, and was a model officer. Most of the time he commanded a brigade. His merits as officer entitled him to have been made a brigadier general. Gen. Sherman said of him at Shiloh that "he behaved with great gallantry and kept his men better together than any colonel in my division and was with me from first to last." His promotion was several times recommended by Generals Grant and Sherman. They were prompted to do this from observation of his conduct on the field of battle, but for some reasons not now known to us, but not creditable to the authorities at Washington, his promotion was not made, though so richly deserved. Congress how ever, afterwards, gave him the brevet of brigadier general in recognition of the merit which should have given him the office.
When Col. Cockerill saw that justice would not be done him, he resigned and came home. He was always popular with his own soldiers and with all soldiers who knew him and had the admiration and respect of all his fellow officers. He never broke his political ties with the Democratic party and in 1864, after returning home, continued to act with that party, though he was never at any time a Peace Democrat. He had many Republican friends who were of opinion that when the war broke out, he should have gone over to the Republican party. Had he done so, no doubt he would have been speedily promoted and might have had any office in the gift of the Republican party of his state. His Republican friends believed he would have been governor of the state had he joined that party in 1862 or earlier. His own party sent him to the legislature from 1868 to 1872, and he had a most excellent record as a busy, useful and working member.
In 1871, he was a candidate for state auditor on the Democratic ticket, but was defeated.
He was a man of independent, broad and liberal views. In public affairs, he was always actuated by the principles of right and justice, looking to the general welfare and not to any local advantage. Charity, benevolence, and liberality were prominent traits in his character. He was public spirited in all things.
His public and private life were each without reproach. As a social companion, he was always agreeable and entertaining. He knew every one in his county, knew all their faults and foibles and all their good qualities. He had a fund of entertaining ancedotes which was inexhaustible. As a conversationalist, he had no superior. A fact once acquired by him was always ready for use and he knew more of the history of Adams County than any man of his time. He should have written the history and it is unfortunate for the county he did not. By his death much valuable information about citizens and events in the county has been lost. He was a born soldier. As a courtier and diplomat, he would have been successful. As soldier, lawyer, statesman, citizen, he was successful and merited the approbation of his cotemporaries and will merit that of posterity. His family consisted of three sons and two daughters. His eldest son was an officer in the 24th O. V. I. and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He died at the early age of twenty-eight, after the close of the war. His second son, John, was also a soldier of the Civil War and became a journalist of world wide fame. His second daughter, Sallie, married Lieut. W. R. Stewart of the 70th O. V. I., and both she and her husband are dead. Their only son, a young man, was lost at sea, washed overboard off Cape Horn. The eldest daughter, Esther, married John Campbell, M. D., who was a captain in the 70th O. V. I. and is now in the employment of the Equitable Insurance Company at No. 328 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She too, has drank the cup of sorrow, in the loss of her only son, Joseph Randolph, an ensign in the navy, who died in the service of his country, during the Spanish War, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere. Surely the family of Joseph R. Cockerill have shown their love of country.
He departed this life on the twenty-third of August, 1875, at the early age of fifty-seven, but his life was in deeds, not in years.
From History of Adams County, Ohio from its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time - by Nelson W. Evans and Emmons B. Stivers - West Union, Ohio - Published by E. B. Stivers - 1900