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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02382.105 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of Henry Jackson Hunt |
| Title | Andrew Cowan to Henry Jackson Hunt regarding the Battle of Gettysburg |
| Date | 26 October 1885 |
| Author | Cowan, Andrew (fl. 1861-1887) |
| Recipient | Hunt, Henry Jackson |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Thanks Hunt for a recent favor. Recalls details of the Battle of Gettysburg for Hunt, who is writing an article on the topic. Speculates as to why General Alexander S. Webb left the 1st New York Light Artillery out of his report on the Battle of Gettysburg. Relates that after the battle, Webb "shook hands with me, regretted that he could not retain such a 'splendid Battery always' and said he would give us full credit for the splendid work we had done." Discusses Wheeler's Battery, which participated in the Battle of Gettysburg. Mentions a drawing of Gettysburg by John B. Bachelder, and notes that Bachelder asked him questions regarding his battery's position during the battle. Discusses the battle in detail. Remarks "Like yourself I am over whelmed with work and it is a torment to think of doing this writing yet it must be done in justice to my men... I dont care a rap personally but many of my old soldiers feel that I should take some steps to set things right before it is too late." Reports on the current location and status of some of the men he served with. Notes that he will write to Generals Abner Doubleday and Webb. Expresses regret that President Chester Arthur did not sign a bill Hunt submitted (possibly regarding military retirement rank and pay). Notes that Arthur's position was strained after the case regarding the actions of Fitz John Porter at Second Manassas. Written on Mantle and Cowan, Leather and Belting stationery. |
| Subjects | Battle of Gettysburg Union General Literature and Language Arts Battle Civil War Union Forces Artillery Artisans Military History President Law Soldier's Pay Military Law Pension |
| People | Hunt, Henry Jackson (1819-1889) Cowan, Andrew (fl. 1861-1887) Webb, Alexander S. (Alexander Stewart) (1835-1911) Bachelder, John Badger (1825-1894) Doubleday, Abner (1819-1893) Arthur, Chester Alan (1829-1886) Porter, Fitz John (1822-1901) |
| Place written | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Arts & Literature |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Folder information: Henry Jackson Hunt was Chief of the Artillery in the Army of the Potomac. Considered by his contemporaries the greatest artillery tactician and strategist of the war, he was a master of the science of gunnery and rewrote the manual on the organization and the use of artillery in early modern armies: Instruction for field artillery. Prepared by a board of artillery officers, consisting of Captain Wm. H. French...Captain Wm. F. Barry...Captain H.J. Hunt...To which is added The evolutions of batteries, tr. from the French by Brigadier General R. Anderson (New York, D. Van Nostrand, 1864). Hunt was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Samuel Wellington Hunt, a career infantry officer. As a child he accompanied his father in 1827 to the Kansas Territory on an expedition to found Fort Leavenworth. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1839 as second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Artillery. He served in the Mexican War where he was elevated to captain and major. Hunt received attention when in the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861, his four-gun battery covered the retreat of a Union force with an artillery duel. He soon afterword became the chief of artillery in defense of Washington, D.C. As a colonel on the staff of McClellan, he organized and trained the artillery reserve and fought in the Peninsular Campaign. His keen work influenced battles at Malvern Hill, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. His most famous service occurred at Gettysburg. He served in Virginia through the end of the war. Following the Civil War, Hunt held various military posts. He served as president of the permanent Artillery Board. He also served at Fort Sullivan, Eastport, Maine (1868), Fort Adams, Newport, Rhode Island (1869-1872 definitely, and possibly until 1874), military commander at Charleston, South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia (1875-1880), commander, Department of the South (1880-1883), and as Governor of the Soldier's Home in Washington D.C. (1883-1889). Hunt had served as Chief of Artillery for the Army of the Potomac. After the Civil War, he occupied various military posts, including that of Governor of the Soldier's Home in Washington, D.C. from 1883 until his death. Cowan served in the First New York Independent Battery of Light Artillery, Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |