But was Maj. Cook disobeying an UNLAWFUL order when he chose not to redeploy? The command itself was lawful. His argument was the that commander who gave the argument wasn’t legitimate.
Does a soldier - especially responsible for hundreds of men under his command - have the choice to determine on his own whether his commanding officer holds his position legitimately? Does he then have the right to disobey commands on that basis?
What if a Lieutenant or Sergeant further down the chain took that approach with the Maj. himself? “The commands were lawful, but I do not believe you are legitimately occupying you job, so I will not obey them.”
That is mutiny. How do you deal with it?
Cook didn’t disobey an order. The order was rescinded before its effective date had been reached.
And another thing. What’s at issue here is not just the legitimacy of “some superior officer” in the chain of command, but the legitimacy of the COMMANDER IN CHIEF! The potential for disaster is INFINITELY higher in this case, as it would be if we were talking about even a General or Admiral.