Richard M. Cook was born in June of 1832 in Madison County, AL to the union of Clayton and Tabitha (Bailey) Cook. Shortly after, the family moved to Marshall County where Richard and Elizabeth Sullivan married 15 April 1850. Richard and Elizabeth moved to Jackson Parish, LA between the birth of a child in 1853 in Alabama and another daughter in 1855, born in Louisiana. From here, he entered the Confederate Army in Monroe, LA.

Pvt. Co. C. 28th (Gray's) LA Infantry. Enlisted May 10th, 1862, Monroe, LA. Appears on a Register of Prisoners of War dated April 25th, 1863, Captured at Franklin, LA., April 14th, 1863. Remarks: In the hospital boat sent to New Orleans, LA., to be exchanged. Cook was paroled at Prophet's Island, below Port Hudson, LA, May 5th, 1863. Roll for July and Aug., 1863, Absent on parole. Paroled at Monroe, LA, June 15th, 1865.

Some time after returning home in 1865 and the 1870 census, they had removed to the Northeast corner of Winn Parish near the town of Cotton Plant and by 1880, had settled in Rapides Parish on Horsepen Creek near The Philadelphia Baptist Church. (close to the town of Koline.) There they resided until death and both are buried in the Philadelphia Cemetery in unmarked graves. When Elizabeth died is not known, but Richard lived past 1903 because we have his account of a CSA Reunion in Alexandria from a Town Talk article. The best guess is that he passed away around 1905 at about the age of 73.

Richard was a farmer, but according to family legend, he was primarily in the cattle business.