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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02382.074 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of Henry Jackson Hunt |
| Title | Fitz-John Porter to Henry Jackson Hunt recalling his experience in the Mexican American War |
| Date | 25 March 1871 |
| Author | Porter, Fitz-John (1822-1901) |
| Recipient | Hunt, Henry Jackson |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Porter replies to a letter from Hunt. Mentions McClellan, and initials on verso of page one. Recalls his experience in the Mexican American War for Hunt, who was writing on the topic. Suggests Hunt attempt to publish his writings in a magazine. Recalls a battle (possibly the 19 August 1847 Battle of Contreras). Mentions Cadwalader (possibly George Cadwalader), Percifer F. Smith, Pierce (possibly Franklin Pierce), Robert E. Lee, Zealous Bates Tower, and Colonel Riley. |
| Subjects | Union General Military History Literature and Language Arts Journalism Battle Mexican War President Confederate General or Leader Latin and South America Global History and Civics |
| People | Porter, Fitz John (1822-1901) Hunt, Henry Jackson (1819-1889) McClellan, George B. (1826-1885) Cadwalader, George (1806-1879) Smith, Percifer F. (fl. 1847) Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward) (1807-1870) Tower, Z. B. (Zealous Bates) (1819-1900) |
| Place written | Morristown, New Jersey |
| Theme | The Mexican 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. In the early 1870s, Hunt was commander of Fort Adams, Newport, Rhode Island. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |