BENJAMIN C. COOK
- Program
- Subject
- Location
- Lat/Long
- Grant Recipient
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Legends & Lore®
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Folklore
- Frost Street and Crow Hill Road, Skaneateles, NY
- 42.973132, -76.443742
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Town of Skaneateles
BENJAMIN C. COOK
Inscription
BENJAMIN C. COOKNATIVE OF MOTTVILLE NY
CIVIL WAR VETERAN WHO
SUGGESTED FLAGS TO DECORATE
GRAVES, HONORING BOTH UNION
AND CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS
NEW YORK FOLKLORE SOCIETY
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2016
When Capt. Benjamin C. Cook (1839-1906) was Commander of Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) of the Potomac it was his duty on Decoration Day to ensure that 20,000 graves of Union and Confederate soldiers were decorated. It’s said that Cook found it difficult to secure enough flowers for all the graves, so he suggested using flags instead. Cook served with the Union’s 5th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War and fought at Gettysburg. He was originally from Mottville (Town of Skaneateles) and is interred at Richmond National Cemetery and his name appears on a plaque at the Civil War Monument in Lake View Cemetery in Skaneateles.
