Original U.S. Civil War Identified 61st New York Union Officer Slouch Hat with Corps Badge to Captain Frederick Cocheu, Wounded Three Times - Worn at Petersburg

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a once-in-a-lifetime offering, the officer’s slouch hat of Captain Frederick Coheu, a storied officer of the Civil War who was self-educated and self-supporting from the age of eight. Cocheu participated in 34 different battles and numerous skirmishes during the war, being wounded on three separate occasions. This tremendous slouch hat has a gorgeous II Corps badge with metal numbers I / 61, indicating Company I, 61st New York Infantry. This means that Cocheu wore this hat from April 4th, 1864, when he was commissioned into the 61st, and fought that spring and summer in Virginia at Corbin's Bridge, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. He resigned on September 1, 1864, on account of sickness.

The slouch hat is made of a fine black felt that is in excellent museum quality condition. The felt is very soft and pliable. There is some light surface dirt but nothing that detracts. The hat retains its original hat band, although it is tearing a bit behind the knot of the cord. The gorgeous officer’s hat cord is entirely original to the hat, and retains its period stitching affixing it to both sides of the hat. The brim of the hat has one row of stitching ½” from the embroidered edge stitching, and that embroidered edge is well-retained with some areas of fraying. The front of the cap has a tremendous hand-cut red three-leaf clover insignia, denoting the 1st Division of II Corps. Affixed over the badge is a small metal I over a small metal 6 & 1, denoting Company I of the 61st New York Infantry, which was attached to the 1st Division, II Corps. This is one of the most well-preserved corps badges we have seen on a slouch hat!

The interior still retains the original moroccan leather sweatband, however there are some tears as shown. There was likely a size sticker there at one point, but it is gone. The stitching of the sweatband is very well-retained.

The hat comes with a small 2 x 3¾” museum placard that reads:

Officer’s Slouch Hat
Officer’s Slouch Hat belonging to
Capt. Frederick Cocheu,
Co. I, 61st NY Inf.
Cocheu also served in the
53rd NY Inf. and 85th NY Inf.

COCHEU, FREDERICK (1832-1897). Captain, 53rd New York Infantry, Company H; 85th New York Infantry, Company H; 61st New York Infantry, Company I. Cocheu, a native of New York City, was self-educated and self-supporting from the age of eight according to his biography in a New York G.A.R. sketchbook. That sketch notes that he enlisted as a private, together with three of his brothers, in April.

He then re-enlisted at New York City as a captain on September 24, 1861, and was commissioned into Company H of the 53rd New York, known familiarly as the D'Epineuil Zouaves, on October 17. The regiment was sent to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, where he was shipwrecked for 48 days on board the John Trucks with 800 men with provisions for only 12 days. After surviving that marooning, he mustered out on March 26, 1862, at Washington, D.C., when his regiment disbanded by order of the War Department.

Cocheu re-enlisted at Albany, New York, later that month on March 29, and immediately mustered into the 85th New York as a captain. His regiment fought in Virginia at Fair Oaks (May 31-June 1, 1862), and at the Seven Days Battle June 25-July 2, 1862), and at New Berne and Glassboro, North Carolina (December 11-20, 1862). Early in 1863, he was made chief of the ambulance corps and remained in that position until he returned to his company in April. He resigned on July 30, 1863, at Roanoke Island, North Carolina, after his father and brother died.

Subsequently, Cocheu re-enlisted as a captain at Stevensburg, Virginia, on March 25, 1864, was commissioned into the 61st New York on April 4, and fought that spring and summer in Virginia at Corbin's Bridge, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. He resigned on September 1, 1864, on account of sickness. The sketchbook notes that he was wounded three times and participated in 34 battles and numerous skirmishes. His pension record indicates additional service in the 5th Independent Battery, New York Light Artillery, but no other information is available related to that service.

After the Civil War, Cocheu was an internal revenue agent. In the 1870s, he represented the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Wards of Brooklyn in the State Legislature. In 1870, he joined the Henry M. Lee Post #21 of the G.A.R. and also belonged to Lafayette Post #140.

According to his obituary, he was the commander of Henry Slocum Post #88 and a past commander of Henry Miller Post. A member of the G.A.R. for 26 years, he held leadership positions for 12 terms, was inspector general of the department for one term, and was grand marshal of the 32 Kings County posts in 1885 and at the burial of General Grant. In 1885, his application for an invalid pension was granted, certificate 349,812. The Brooklyn Directory for 1888-1890 shows that he was employed in the insurance business.

His obituary in The New York Times notes that Cocheu lost a considerable fortune in the Grand Street and Newtown Railroad, a venture which he built and then served as its president for some years. His last residence was at 210 South 4th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a neighborhood where he had lived most of his life. He died from pneumonia. Margaret Cocheu, who is interred with him, applied for and received a widow's pension in 1897 under certificate 634,756. Section 42, lot 5119.

This is a truly once-in-a-lifetime offering, identified to a thrice-wounded Captain who wore this very hat at Petersburg. Comes ready for further research and display!