Gratz Cohen was the son of the Hon. Solomon Cohen and Miriam (Gratz) Cohen. In June 1861, at age 16, he enlisted in the Savannah Artillery. Three months later he "was appointed Aide, with the rank of Captain, on the staff of General George P. Harrison, commanding a brigade of [Georgia] state troops." After eight months, he was incapacitated and returned home. In Oct. 1862 he entered the Univ. of Virginia, but in 1864 he was again incapacitated and returned to Savannah. There, he studied law and wrote a novel.

Near the end of 1864, Cohen became determined to return to the front, despite his disability. He "left Savannah as volunteer Aide - without pay - on the staff of Colonel P.G. Harrison, Jr., acting Brigidier-General." Traveling "from the Savannah river to North Carolina," he fought in the battle of Averysboro, for which he was commended "for his gallantry and cool bravery." Then, on March 19, 1865, he participated in the battle of Bentonville, despite his surgeon's advice. He had just brought a report to his General when he was killed instantly by a bullet through his head. He was buried near the battlefield, but in Feb. 1866 his remains were re-interred at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, and his parents erected a beautiful monument "To our only and beloved son."

Source: The University Memorial: Biographical Sketches of Almumni of the University of Virginia Who Fell in the Confederate War by John Lipscomb Johnson (Baltimore, 1871), pp. 704-08.

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Title

Glynn County, ca. 1864-1865. Gratz Cohen, Miriam Cohen Dent's brother, died in one of last battles of Civil War.--from field notes

Original Caption

[Photograph of Gratz Cohen, a Civil War soldier, Glynn County, Georgia, ca. 1864-1865?]

Identifier

gly222

Begin Date

1864

End Date

1865

County

Glynn County (Ga.)

Subject

Soldiers--Confederate States of America; Costume--Georgia--Glynn County; Armed Forces--Georgia--Glynn County; Portraits--Georgia--Glynn County

Type

Photograph

Rights

Held by Georgia Archives, 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260. The Georgia Archives grants permission for a single use of images for inclusion in a specific approved educational project. Contact repository re: reproduction and usage.

Cite as

Vanishing Georgia, Georgia Archives, University System of Georgia

Digital Collection

Vanishing Georgia

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Gratz Cohen

JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR)

• Name Gratz Cohen

Birth Date abt 1844

Death Date 19 Mar 1865

Death Place Bentenville, North Carolina

Age at Death 20 Years, 4 Months

Burial Date 13 Feb 1866

Burial Plot Lot 1381

Burial Place Savannah, Georgia, United States

Comments Confederate States of America, Savannah Staff Officer; killed in battle at Bentenville, NC

Cemetery Laurel Grove Cemetery

Cemetery Address 802 West Anderson Street

Cemetery Burials 1948

Cemetery Comments Burial data dating from 1852 to 1938 was transcribed by Kaye Kole from Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia : General Index to Keepers' Record Books, 1852-1938 (Works Progress Administration, 1939). Data regarding burials from 1939-2001 was compiled

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Gratz Cohen

Savannah, Georgia, U.S., Cemetery and Burial Records, 1852-1939

• Name Gratz Cohen

Birth Date abt 1845

Age at Death 20

Death Date 19 Mar 1865

Cemetery Laurel Grove

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