Charles Kane Cobb was born on July 8, 1831, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Frederick and Augusta Cobb. His father died on August 5, 1848. He married Elizabeth Codman on June 6, 1853, and they had at least three children: Charles, born around 1856; Ellen, born around 1857; and Frederick, born around 1860. He worked as a merchant in Boston, and by 1860, he owned $7,000 of real estate and $8,000 of personal property. He employed at least three white domestic servants.
In December 1861, he received a commission as a 1st lieutenant in the 1st Massachusetts Infantry Battalion, which later became the 32nd Massachusetts Infantry. The regiment took part in the Second Battle of Manassas, the Battle of Antietam, and the Battle of Fredericksburg. He fell ill with typhoid fever in the fall of 1862 and spent several weeks recovering. He resigned on January 31, 1863, explaining that “the permanent happiness of my wife and children depends upon my presence at home for a longer period than I could be absent on leave.”
He returned to Boston, and he earned a living as a banker. By 1870, he owned $35,000 of real estate and $20,000 of personal property. He died of consumption in Boston on January 16, 1876.