The nickname came from President Madison and dates back to the Petersburg Volunteers and the War of 1812.
President Madison called Petersburg "The Cockade City of the Union" after seeing the Petersburg Volunteers on their return, wearing hats with leather cockades or emblems.
The company of 103 men served under General William Henry Harrison and were commanded by Captain Richard McRae.
They helped win back the Northwest and won fame at the Battle of Fort Meigs in May 1813, when they defended this fort against an attack by 2,000 British, Canadians and Indians.
They drilled on Capital Square and were praised in Richmond. Thomas Jefferson entertained them in Charlottesville. The Ohio legislature honored them with a dinner. An Ohio writer said: " A finer company..or more elegantly uniformed, has probably never passed through this place. They certainly do much honor to the state from which they came."
In 1858, a monument was erected in Blandford Cemetery to honor Captain McRae and the gallant young men of the Petersburg Volunteers.
The shaft, eagle and ornamental iron fence were funded by public contributions. The original eagle was damaged by cannon fire during the Siege and later by a thief. The Historic Blandford Cemetery Foundation donated the replacement eagle. The fence is the most important ironwork in the cemetery and contains symbols of war and peace. Seventeen stars represent the number of states in the Union during the War of 1812.
Want to read more…Check out HPF's book, Duty and Honor, Petersburg's Contributions to the
War of 1812 by James H. Ryan, Ph.D. and Lee A. Wallace, Jr.
