Many reasons have been attributed to the cause of America’s Civil War. Protecting states’ rights, the balance of trade with Europe, emancipation and preserving the intent of the constitution are but a few of a long list of explanations.

Years and years of research and investigation have never achieved a satisfactory single response to the ongoing question, "What caused the Civil War?"

If we will be completely honest with our own knowledge, rather than our inner feelings, the truth is we really don’t know. Perhaps the best answer of recent times was surmised by noted local historian and writer Ed Crews, who brought the question’s answer to the heart of the subject when he said, "The cause of the war, in spite of how sophisticated we may attempt to paint it, was basically found in the heart of each participant from top to bottom. Every individual had their reason and purpose for being involved."

Nothing exhibits the truth of this observation more than the life of Philip St. George Cocke, aristocratic Powhatan land owner and the founder of the famous Civil War unit, "Powhatan Troop," of the fourth Virginia Cavalry. Cocke’s story is especially interesting in that he possessed one true intent in the war--to equal the distinction his father attained during the War of 1812.

Cocke was born on April 17, 1809 and raised in the area of Bremo. His father, Major General John Cocke, had made a significant name for himself during the War of 1812. Impressed with the accomplishments of his father, young Cocke wished to achieve the same acclaim.

Graduating from the University of Virginia in 1828, he attended West Point Military Academy. Upon graduation, Cocke served in the army for two years, then re-signed and returned to Virginia, where he married Sally Bowdoin of Surry County. Sometime in the late 1820’s, Cocke and his wife moved to Powhatan County and became deeply involved in local and state affairs. As his father had done with the courthouse at Palmyra in Fluvanna County, Cocke took the opportunity to hire a New York architect to design Powhatan Courthouse and attended to the project until its completion.

Sometime in the mid-1850’s, after acquiring substantial acreage in Powhatan, Cocke completed the Gothic-styled Belmead. The structure is immense and sits atop a majestic hill overlooking the James River.

In 1859, Cocke became alarmed by the uprising at Harper’s Ferry, now called the John Brown Raid. Cocke was not alone in his apprehension that such a situation could occur at home. As did many men across the state in their own counties, Cocke formed a militia unit to prepare for such a hostility. The famous Powhatan Troop was his organization, and he personally financed, equipped and armed the unit.

The threat of hostilities from within the county never materialized; instead, the hostilities were from Virginia’s neighbors to the North. When the Civil War erupted, the handsomely-uniformed and effectively-mounted Powhatan Troop was prepared to go to the action in 1861. Cocke was commissioned a general by the State of Virginia; he was briefly separated from the Troop but reunited just prior to Manassas.

Cocke finally had his opportunity for military greatness. Although a brigadier general in the Provisional Army of Virginia, Cocke was given the rank of colonel when the Virginia troops were consolidated with the Confederate Army. This was a personal disappointment of profound dimensions. For this proud, accomplished man of immense wealth, a depressive state of mind began to consume and erode Cocke’s emotional foundation.

At the Battle of Manassas, Cocke distinguished himself in battle and valor, but he felt Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard did not give him the credit he deserved. A confrontation between the men produced nothing to change the official reports. Cocke found the slight overwhelming, sliding him into mental depression.

After several months, Cocke received a nomination to the rank of brigadier general. This promotion took place in October of 1861; however, Cocke was emotionally destroyed.

Returning home for Christmas, Cocke shot himself in the head the following evening, December 26, 1861, outside his beloved Belmead, a crushed man.

Philip St. George Cocke’s life dispels one of the many myths as to the cause of the great Civil war. His father was a champion of emancipation and spent a lifetime in its pursuits. Young Cocke for certain echoed his father’s sentiments in his effort to live up to his father’s achievements.

Ed Crew’s analogy of the cause of the war certainly appears true, at least in Cocke’s case. A great and generous life ended not by his enemy, but by his own disappointment, not for his cause but because of his motivation for being a Confederate.