Who is this person?

[L Verge]

You are remarkable, Steve! Thanks for showing us Houdini and Abe Lincoln.

In digging further on Cooke, I discovered a wonderful article on Houdini and his Lincoln collection. For a change, there was contact information on the author, so I reached out for permission to reprint his work in a future issue of the Surratt Courier - and got a quick response and permission. I also found out that the author, Al Hunter, is now working on Osborn Oldroyd. Here is his response to me:

Laurie-
Thank you for your kind words. Of course you are welcome to use anything you wish. I have been to the museum a few times in the past. Last time was on the day of the 150th anniversary of the assassination. I am currently working on a book about Osborn Oldroyd, the famed Lincoln collector with museums in the Lincoln Springfield homestead and then later in the House where Lincoln died. Many of the relics he displayed were related to the assassination. Does the museum have anything related to Oldroyd in it's collection? Or maybe in the Surratt Society archives? My wife and I are coming back out to DC in late April to finish up researching the files at the HWLD (I was there and at the Park Service facility in Maryland last September) and at the Library of Congress. Since I travel from Indiana, I always try and cram as much in to each visit as I can. I would be honored to look through or speak with anyone at the Surratt House about Oldroyd if there is any interest. What you folks do (and have done) is amazing and much appreciated by all, I assure you. I would be happy to share anything of interest with you all as well. Again, thanks for asking.

Al Hunter
Weekly View

I told him that I would post this here in hopes that others can help locate material for him. If you do, send it to me at Surratt House and I will pass it on.

Steve - one more "assignment" if you have the time. I passed on Jerry's information about Harry Cooke (real name Horatio Green Cooke) to David Goetz, who leads the Mosby's Confederacy Tours through the Shenandoah Valley, has authored several books on Mosby, and will be a speaker at our upcoming conference. He had not heard of Cooke and his run-in with the Rangers. He's checking with others, but so far no one knows anything.

According to Jerry's information and what I found on the internet, Cooke was assigned by Lincoln and Stanton to be a Federal Scout, and that's how he came to infiltrate Confederate territory and run up against the Grey Ghost. He was in the Union Army before receiving the assignment and seems to have been mainly doing orders requiring beautiful penmanship. My question: Is there a way to find his military records and perhaps prove his service as a scout?

Addendum: Just found this hint, but can't get into the papers on Fold3 Iowa Infantry Regiment 28 Company B Cooke, Horatio G.