James Harvey Cooper

Going by Harvey, he was orphaned and moved to Lawrence County, PA by 1853. In 1861 he was a 20 year old clerk in his brother George's store at Mount Jackson. He enlisted there on 26 April 1861 in the local militia company, the Mt. Jackson Guards, as First Sergeant, and was elected 2nd Lieutenant. They enrolled for state service as an artillery unit on 8 June 1862 at Mt Jackson and he mustered in Harrisburg as First Lieutenant of Battery B, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery on 5 August. He was promoted to Captain shortly after.

He led them in action on South Mountain on 14 September 1862 and on Poffenberger's Farm at Sharpsburg on the morning of 17 September, where

[he] had a very narrow escape. While directing the fire of the guns a solid shot struck his horse and tore it in pieces.

He was promoted to Major on 24 September 1863 (but probably declined the commission) and mustered out on 8 August 1864.

He worked in a sawmill and in 1870 was a lumberman living with lumber dealer John Hammond and his family (next door to brother George) in Edinburg, Lawrence County, PA. In 1871 he ran unsuccessfully for Pennsylvania Surveyor General as a Democrat. By 1880 and to at least 1900 he was a clerk in his clothing store - Cooper & Butler - in New Castle, PA.

His service from Bates,1 source also of the quote above, and the Card File.2 Personal details from family genealogists, the US Census of 1860-1900, a bio sketch in the Lancaster Weekly Intelligencer of 14 June 1871, and his obituary in the New Castle News of 21 March 1906. His gravesite is on Findagrave. Thanks to Jim Smith for the nudge to look further into Captain Cooper.

He married Alice Gray Officer (1846-1888) in 1873 and they had a daughter Mary.

His clothing store was still in business to at least 1927. The Cooper-Butler Building in New Castle was taken down in 2019.

03/06/1840; Ross Township, Allegheny County, PA

03/21/1906; New Castle, PA; burial in Greenwood Cemetery, New Castle, PA