Generals in Blue: Hunter

David Hunter

Lincoln promptly nullified Hunter’s order and reprimanded his overzealous general. Not merely a political liability, Hunter also proved to be an incompetent combat commander. He was temporarily relieved after a failed attack on Charleston. Then, when Grant took charge of the army, Hunter replaced Franz Sigel as commander of the Department of West Virginia. In this capacity he was instructed to help shield Washington, lay waste to the Shenandoah Valley (breadbasket of Lee’s army), and draw some of Lee's forces away from Richmond. Hunter was effective in the destruction of civilian property, burning countless farms and homes, but inept in engagements with enemy troops. After pillaging the Shenandoah Valley and sacking Lexington, Hunter headed for Lynchburg in June 1864. There, a smaller force led by Jubal Early easily sent Hunter into a hasty retreat to the safety of West Virginia (not before John McCausland added one more blemish to Hunter’s record, Hanging Rock, where he lost a third of his artillery). Not even Hunter's political connections were enough to offset his combat failures, and he resigned his command in August 1864. (Hunter's retreat allowed Early to once again threaten Washington from the Shenandoah corridor. This time Grant sent Phil Sheridan to do what Hunter could not, and Early was defeated in the final Shenandoah campaign.) At the end of the war, Hunter presided over the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators and accompanied the president’s body to Springfield. He retired as a colonel of the cavalry, with brevets of brigadier and major general, in 1866, and resided in Washington until his death on February 2, 1886.

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David Hunter was born on July 21, 1802, in Washington, D.C. His father was a minister from Virginia who had served in the Revolutionary War, and his maternal grandfather was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Hunter graduated from West Point in 1822 and was assigned to frontier duty at Fort Dearborn, Illinois. He resigned in 1836 and spent six years in real estate before returning to the army as paymaster with the rank of major. In 1860, stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Hunter began a correspondence with Lincoln that led to his appointment in command of the militia protecting the new president. Despite his lack of combat experience, Hunter had served in the army for thirty years; he was also an ardent abolitionist with strong political connections. All this easily earned him a commission as cavalry colonel. By the time of the first major engagement in July 1861, Hunter commanded a division. He sustained a wound in the Battle of Bull Run, and after his recovery he was given command of the Department of the South, based at Hilton Head. In May 1862, Hunter took it upon himself to proclaim the emancipation of slaves in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

© 2003 David C. Hanson, HIS 269 - Civil War and Reconstruction, Virginia W. Community College.

David Hunter
	Lincoln promptly nullified Hunter’s order and reprimanded his overzealous general. Not merely a political liability, Hunter also proved to be an incompetent combat commander. He was temporarily relieved after a failed attack on Charleston. Then, when Grant took charge of the army, Hunter replaced Franz Sigel as commander of the Department of West Virginia. In this capacity he was instructed to help shield Washington, lay waste to the Shenandoah Valley (breadbasket of Lee’s army), and draw some of Lee's forces away from Richmond. Hunter was effective in the destruction of civilian property, burning countless farms and homes, but inept in engagements with enemy troops. After pillaging the Shenandoah Valley and sacking Lexington, Hunter headed for Lynchburg in June 1864. There, a smaller force led by Jubal Early easily sent Hunter into a hasty retreat to the safety of West Virginia (not before John McCausland added one more blemish to Hunter’s record, Hanging Rock, where he lost a third of his artillery). Not even Hunter's political connections were enough to offset his combat failures, and he resigned his command in August 1864. (Hunter's retreat allowed Early to once again threaten Washington from the Shenandoah corridor. This time Grant sent Phil Sheridan to do what Hunter could not, and Early was defeated in the final Shenandoah campaign.) At the end of the war, Hunter presided over the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators and accompanied the president’s body to Springfield. He retired as a colonel of the cavalry, with brevets of brigadier and major general, in 1866, and resided in Washington until his death on February 2, 1886. Generals >
David Hunter was born on July 21, 1802, in Washington, D.C. His father was a minister from Virginia who had served in the Revolutionary War, and his maternal grandfather was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Hunter graduated from West Point in 1822 and was assigned to frontier duty at Fort Dearborn, Illinois. He resigned in 1836 and spent six years in real estate before returning to the army as paymaster with the rank of major. In 1860, stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Hunter began a correspondence with Lincoln that led to his appointment in command of the militia protecting the new president. Despite his lack of combat experience, Hunter had served in the army for thirty years; he was also an ardent abolitionist with strong political connections. All this easily earned him a commission as cavalry colonel. By the time of the first major engagement in July 1861, Hunter commanded a division. He sustained a wound in the Battle of Bull Run, and after his recovery he was given command of the Department of the South, based at Hilton Head. In May 1862, Hunter took it upon himself to proclaim the emancipation of slaves in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
© 2003 David C. Hanson, HIS 269 - Civil War and Reconstruction, Virginia W. Community College.