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Civil War Soldiers - Hunter
| Hunter, David, major-general, U.S.
Army, was born in Washington, D. C., July 21, 1802, was graduated at
West Point in 1822, and after becoming captain in the 1st dragoons in
1833, resigned his commission in 1836 to go into business in Chicago.
He rejoined the army as paymaster with the rank of major in 1842 and
was chief paymaster of Gen. John E. Wool's command in the Mexican war,
serving after that at New Orleans and at other posts, including those
on the frontier. He was assigned, in Feb., 1861, to accompany
President-elect Lincoln from his home in Springfield, Ill., to
Washington, but at Buffalo his collar-bone was dislocated by the
pressure of the crowd that gathered to see Lincoln, and he did not
arrive at Washington until May 14. He was then appointed colonel of
the 6th U. S. cavalry, and three days later was given a commission as
brigadier-general of volunteers. He commanded the main column of
McDowell's army in the Manassas campaign, was severely wounded at Bull
Run, July 21, 1861, and on Aug. 1, 1861, was made major-general of
volunteers, serving under Gen. Fremont in Missouri, and on Nov. 2
succeeding him in the command of the western department. He commanded
the Department of Kansas from Nov., 1861, until March, 1862, and by
his prompt reinforcement of Grant at Fort Donelson, at the
solicitation of Gen. Halleck, made possible the victory of Feb. 16,
1862. In March, 1862, Gen. Hunter was transferred to the Department of
the South, with headquarters at Port Royal, S. C., and his first
effective movement was the capture of Fort Pulaski, April 11, 1862.
Finding there a large number of able-bodied, idle negroes, willing to
enlist in the United States service, Gen. Hunter on April 12 issued an
order declaring that slavery and martial law were incompatible,
further declaring free all slaves in Fort Pulaski and on Cockburn
island, Ga., and on May 9, he extended the declaration to slaves in
Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. On May 19, President Lincoln
issued a proclamation which declared Gen. Hunter's order entirely void
and given without authority. On June 16, 1862, an expedition against
Charleston by way of James island resulted in the disastrous battle of
Secessionville — an attack which, according to Gen. Hunter's report,
was made contrary to his orders. Gen. Hunter organized the 1st S. C.
volunteers, a regiment composed of refugee slaves which was the first
of the kind to be mustered into the U. S. volunteer service. In
September he was ordered to Washington and was made president of a
court of inquiry to investigate the causes for the surrender of
Harper's Ferry and other matters, and he subsequently served as
president of the court-martial instituted by Gen. Pope to try Gen.
Fitz-John Porter for disobedience to orders. He was placed in command
of the Department of West Virginia in May, 1864, defeated a
Confederate force at Piedmont on June 5, moved on Lynchburg on the 8th
by way of Lexington, where he burned the place, and on the 16th of
June invested Lynchburg, falling back then by way of the Kanawha
river, thus bringing his army to the Ohio river and leaving the valley
for several weeks open to the mercy of Early. Gen. Hunter was then on
leave of absence until Feb. 1, 1865, after which he served on
courts-martial, being president of the commission that tried the
persons who were charged with conspiring for the assassination of
President Lincoln. He was brevetted major-general U. S. A., March 13,
1865, and was mustered out of the volunteer service in Jan., 1866. He
was retired the following July and died in Washington, D. C., Feb. 2,
1886. Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
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