Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
Benson Lossing, Ed.

---

Couch, Darius Nash 1822-1897

Military officer; born in South East, Putnam co., N. Y., July 23, 1822; graduated at West Point in 1846; served in the war with Mexico; aided in suppressing the last outbreak of the Seminoles, and resigned in 1855. In January, 1861, while residing in Taunton, Mass., he was commissioned colonel of a Massachusetts regiment, and made a brigadier-general of volunteers in August. He commanded a division in General Keyes's corps in the battle of fair Oaks, or seven Pines (q. v.). He [406] also distinguished himself at Williamsburg and at Malvern Hills, and on July 4, 1862, was promoted to major-general. Soon after his service at Antietam he was put in command of Sumner's corps, and took a prominent part in battles under Burnside and Hooker; also under Thomas, in the defeat of Hood at Nashville (q. v.), and in North Carolina early in 1865. He was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for governor of Massachusetts in 1865; was collector of the port of Boston in 1866-67; adjutant-general of Connecticut in 1883-84. He died in Norwalk, Conn., Feb. 12, 1897.