John Cooper was a staff surgeon who served with the Second Union Louisiana Cavalry, and as medical staff with 17th and 15th Army Corps medical Corps. His brother Theodore Cooper was a naval officer who enlisted as 3rd Assistant Engineer in December 1861. Later promoted to 1st Engineer, Theodore Cooper resigned from the service in July 1872. Their family grouping consists of the following items:

Surgeon John Cooper-(a) three Carte de visites, one w/"Hanton's Galleries/No. 99 Camp St, N.O." reverse inscription, the second bearing a "Moulthrop & Williams/ New Haven, CT" backmark; and the third with a M.P. Simons, Philada. backmark, and a period ink inscription on the reverse, "Doctor John Cooper / Born October 24 1833 / at Coopers Plains, NY / taken 1862". (b) Envelope cover addressed "Doctor John Cooper/Prince St. Hospital/ Alexandria, D.C.". (c) Two page letter addressed to brother Theodore expressing anxieties about two soldiers-- Tom & Fred [ostensibly younger brothers of John and Theodore Cooper]-- serving with the army in the field, dated 5/17/1862. (d) "U. S. Express Company" receipt for box delivered to Dr. John Cooper at "Baptist Church Hospital\, Alexandria VA.", dated 4/13, 1863. (e) Three routine army documents detailing Surgeon Cooper's assignments, the first from the Medical Director's Office, Headquarter, Dept. of the Gulf, N.O., December 31, 1863, the second and third from "Headquarters, Department and Army of the Tennessee/ relieving Cooper of assignment with the 15th AC and ordering him to report to the Medical Director of the 17th AC. Dated 4/24 and 6/23 respectively.

Assistant Engineer Theodore Cooper. (a) One cased pre-war 1/6th plate tintype portrait, w/two carte de visites-the first depicting Cooper in uniform, w/ "C.H. Hopkins/ Annapolis" backmark; the other depicting him in civilian clothes w/lady "Tom's sister" on his arm, backmark: A.G. Myers, Mechanicsburg, PA. (b) Three letters written from Boston, dated "Jan. 29th" & "Feb. 2, 1862, and "Mar 16th" respectively. The first two letters are addressed to "Artie" and "Sam", and are signed from "your brother Theod". The third is sent from the gunboat "U.S.S. Steamer Chocura", is dated "Mar. 16", and is addressed to "My dear brother". (c) Navy dept. document, dated 10/10/1863 and + addressed to 3rd Assist. Eng. Cooper of the U.S.S. Chocura, detailing him to report Chief Engineer Kellog, "without delay, for your examination." [Letters & document in folder.] (d) Two Theodore Cooper naval coat buttons in riker box (e) Three buttons [one naval coat, one NY "Excelsior" coat & "Excelsior" cuff button] in Riker box.

Thomas Cooper-12.25" x 16.375" Riker Box Containing four US buttons (2 coat, 2 cuff), carte de visite of Thomas Cooper in uniform [back-mark "Tyler/ Easton, PA"], and two page letter dated Coopers Plains, NY, Nov. 11, 1862. "From your cousin Fred" to "Nan" detailing the death of "Our noble Tom…..[that dear soldier Boy left me a quarter past two on Friday Oct. 31st. He was conscious to the last….He said to cut a couple [buttons] from his service uniform and also from the seventh [regt.] and give them to you with his love."]

Additional Cooper family images: (a) John Cooper Sr-one cdv, dated 1861/ backmark: "J.Good/ Trenton, NJ", one cabinet card, 6.5 x 4.25", backmark: Dana Portraits, New York. (b) 1/6th plate ambrotype of Mrs. Cooper, mother of John, Theodore & other Cooper brothers. (c) Two images of "Tom's Sister", a cdv of "Charlotte E. Cooper? dated 12/20/1862, and a later image of "Aunt Charlotte" Vandeneer, back-mark "Knecht/ Easton, PA".

All images, documents, and buttons are in very good condition. A fascinating trove of Civil War Cooper family heirlooms that deserves further research.