Clarke Co. Ga.
General T. R. R. Cobb

Thomas Reade Roots Cobb was born in Jefferson County, Georgia, on April 10, 1823. He was a brother to General Howell Cobb and cousin of Henry Roots Jackson, also a Confederate general. Cobb was a devout Christian who practiced his faith daily and was a leader in the First Presbyterian Church in Athens. His faith helped to sustain him when his beloved daughter, Lucy, died at a young age and as he experienced the trials and tribulations brought on by the war that was to take his life.

In 1841, Cobb graduated from the University of Georgia and was admitted to the bar in 1842. He quickly built a reputation as a renowned constitutional lawyer. He had a brilliant legal mind and is credited with most of the codification of Georgia laws. Georgia was the first state in the country to codify its laws. Along with Joseph Henry Lumpkin, he worked to establish the School of Law at UGA.

A believer in education reform and the power of education, Cobb was instrumental in the formation of a school for young ladies that bore his departed daughter’s name the Lucy Cobb Institute. The building and grounds of that school are now a part of the University of Georgia and the Institute of Government. Cobb was among the first to support free public schools in Georgia which were implemented by the state legislature in 1858.

A strong Southern nationalist, Cobb played a prominent role in the formation of the Confederacy. He served as a Georgia delegate to the convention in Montgomery in 1861, and would later serve as a Confederate Congressman. He is best recognized as the principal author of the Confederate Constitution (to view the Confederate Constitution: click HERE! ) which is now owned and preserved by the Hargrett Rare Books Section, in the library of the University of Georgia and is displayed on Confederate Memorial Day each year.

He believed strongly in defending his home against the invasion from the north and raised and equipped at his expense, a legion composed of infantry, cavalry, and artillery units. The legion gained fame under his brother Howell in campaigns in Virginia and Maryland. In November of 1862, T. R. R. was promoted from colonel to brigadier general. Only one month later, he was mortally wounded while involved with directing his troops behind a stone wall during the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 13, 1862.

The body of the highest ranking Athenian killed during the war was returned home from Virginia and buried at Oconee Hill Cemetery on December 19, 1862.Our camp’s namesake gave his honor, fortune, and life defending the right of the Confederate States of America to exist as a free and independent nation.

For information on the Historic T. R. R Cobb house: click HERE!

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