Bidspirit auction | COHEN, GRATZ. Of Savannah Artillery,

COHEN, GRATZ. Of Savannah Artillery, CSA.  CARTE-DE-VISITE PHOTOGRAPH. Standing view in uniform, with sash. Napoleonic pose. Identified in period pencil. Photog: Quimby & Co., Charleston, SC. Great nephew of Rebecca Gratz, Captain Gratz Cohen (1844-65) 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 Cohen was incapacitated and returned home. Cohen then entered the University of Virginia (the first Jew to do so) where 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 Brigadier-General.” Cohen fought in the battle of Averysboro, for which he was commended ”for his gallantry and cool bravery.” On March 19, 1865, Cohen was shot and killed during the battle of Bentonville. He was buried near the battlefield, but in Feb. 1866 his remains were re-interred at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, under a monument inscribed ”To our only and beloved son.”