Leonard Van Cott and the Sword
Leonard Van Cott. Courtesy of Gunn Memorial Museum.
Leonard Van Cott was one of the three sons of Judge Van Cott of Brooklyn, New York who became a part of the Gunnery family in the 1860s. He and his brother, William Van Cott Jr. joined the Civil War.
William joined with the 176th New York Infantry in Company C in 1863. He survived the war, and went on to become a teacher.
Leonard, on the other hand, did not survive the war. In 1862, Leonard joined the 119th New York Volunteers in Company I. He joined as a commissioned officer with the rank of 1st Lieutenant. As an officer, it was traditional to have a sword. To this end, there was a fairly elaborate and festive sword-giving ceremony in the Congregational Church on Washington Green shortly before Leonard's departure to his regiment. In the photo gallery below, there is a transcript of the article from the Litchfield Enquirer, which includes the full contents of the speech given by Leonard's father, Judge William Van Cott.
Unfortunately, for a soldier whose career in the Civil War army had begun on such a high note, it did not end well. Leonard died of typhoid fever two months after enlisting, leaving much grief in his wake. Charles Goodyear was apparently a friend of Van Cott, and saddened by his death. He was also probably a better friend of Romulus, as it is Romulus who tells Charley of the death. The sword is still in existence today, and is owned by the descendants of the William Van Cott family.
The images in the photo gallery below include a page from Leonard's journal, some letters concerning the sword during the mid 20th century, and the transcript of the Litchfield Enquirer article.
Sources:
http://legacy.www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/rbk/soldiers/detail.cfm?id=8554
http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm
Rhoads, Mark T. '04. Metropolitan Baseball in a Small Town Setting. 2004
William joined with the 176th New York Infantry in Company C in 1863. He survived the war, and went on to become a teacher.
Leonard, on the other hand, did not survive the war. In 1862, Leonard joined the 119th New York Volunteers in Company I. He joined as a commissioned officer with the rank of 1st Lieutenant. As an officer, it was traditional to have a sword. To this end, there was a fairly elaborate and festive sword-giving ceremony in the Congregational Church on Washington Green shortly before Leonard's departure to his regiment. In the photo gallery below, there is a transcript of the article from the Litchfield Enquirer, which includes the full contents of the speech given by Leonard's father, Judge William Van Cott.
Unfortunately, for a soldier whose career in the Civil War army had begun on such a high note, it did not end well. Leonard died of typhoid fever two months after enlisting, leaving much grief in his wake. Charles Goodyear was apparently a friend of Van Cott, and saddened by his death. He was also probably a better friend of Romulus, as it is Romulus who tells Charley of the death. The sword is still in existence today, and is owned by the descendants of the William Van Cott family.
The images in the photo gallery below include a page from Leonard's journal, some letters concerning the sword during the mid 20th century, and the transcript of the Litchfield Enquirer article.
Sources:
http://legacy.www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/rbk/soldiers/detail.cfm?id=8554
http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm
Rhoads, Mark T. '04. Metropolitan Baseball in a Small Town Setting. 2004
