Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Samuel Cooper (June 12, 1798 December 3, 1876) was a career United States Army officer, serving during the Second Seminole War and the Mexican-American War. Although little-known today, Cooper was also the highest ranking Confederate general during the American Civil War. After the conflict, he remained in Virginia as a farmer. Samuel Cooper was born in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey. He was a son of Samuel Cooper and his wife Mary Horton. In 1813 he entered the United States Military Academy at age 15 and graduated 36th in a class of 40 two years later (the customary length of study in that period.) He was appointed a brevet second lieutenant in the U.S. Light Artillery on December 11, 1815.