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Confederate (CSV)

Captain

John Archer Coke

(1842 - 1920)

Home State: Virginia

Education: William and Mary Law

Command Billet: Battery Commander

Branch of Service: Artillery

Unit: Williamsburg (VA) Artillery

Before Sharpsburg

An 18 year old law student, he enlisted as Private in the First Virginia Light Artillery on 20 May 1861. He was appointed 2nd Lieutenant of Company F -the Williamsburg Light Artillery - on 31 December 1861 and was promoted to Captain about 15 May 1862.

On the Campaign

He commanded the battery in Maryland.

The rest of the War

General Pendleton recommended his battery be disbanded in October 1862:

"...by relieving the officers of Captain [J. A.] Coke's company (present with this army), the captain, though entitled to credit for service, zeal, and many excellent qualities, not having all the requisites for efficiency, and assigning the men, as in the other cases, to Colonel Brown for distribution ..."

By 1863 he was on recruiting service in Richmond, being listed in the City Directory: "Capt. J. A. Coke, Enrolling officer 3d Congressional District. Office, south side Bank street, near 12th. Office hours, 9 A. M. to 2 P. M."

After the War

He was a lawyer in Richmond, VA.

References & notes

His service from Robert H. Moore's Miscellaneous Disbanded Light Artillery (1997). His gravesite is on Findagrave.

Birth

07/14/1842; Williamsburg, VA

Death

01/27/1920; Richmond, VA; burial in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA