Cogbill, William Louis

Title

Cogbill, William Louis

Last Name

Cogbill

First and Middle Name

William Louis

Biographical Text

"Bravery in my opinion, depends principally, if not wholly, on one's physical condition. A desire to do one's duty, coupled up with self control and physical endurance makes a good soldier. Shall fire will, if continued, eventually break the best nervous system."
-William Louis Cogbill

Nicknames or Other Names

"Billy"

Hometown

Richmond, Virginia

County and/or State

Henrico

Birth Date

August 28th, 1893

Birthplace

Richmond, VA

Death Date

November 4th, 1943

Cause of Death

Automobile Accident (fractured skull)

Place of Death

Topsail, Pender, North Carolina

Parents

William L Cogbill, Ada Golden

Siblings

Minnie M Cogbill

Spouse(s)

Single

VPI Graduating Class

1916

Undergraduate Major

Mechanical Engineering

Graduated

Yes

Service Branch

Army

Unit

324th Infantry

Rank

Captain

Retired Rank

Captain

Postwar Life

Worked as a mechanical engineer and a salesman.

Additional Notes

William filled out a survey on March 18th, 1921 relaying his experiences from the war. He stated that he "Found it very difficult to think in civilian terms..". He also noted that he was very "nervous and restless at times". He said that he didn't know how to understand how he felt that way, and continued to ask himself why his state of mind was like that after his experiences. This statement can allude to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which was not recognized as a disease until 1980, making this an early account of traumatic caused stress recorded.

Contributing Researchers

Hannah Dunfee, 2020

Files

William L. Cogbill senior portrait from the 1916 Bugle.jpg
William L. Cogbill picture from the 1916 Bugle.jpg
William L. Cogbill from the 1916 Bugle.jpg
William Louis Cogbill WW1 Questionairre - VPI Class of 1916 - pg 1.tif
William Louis Cogbill WW1 Questionairre - VPI Class of 1916 - pg 2.tif
William Louis Cogbill WW1 Questionairre - VPI Class of 1916 - pg 3.tif

Collection

Citation

“Cogbill, William Louis,” VPI in World War I, accessed November 13, 2024, https://vpiworldwarone.lib.vt.edu/items/show/13.

Output Formats

Comments (if you have information about a veteran or would like to talk about a veteran, also email the project director Daniel Newcomb at danieln1@vt.edu with your information or question)

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