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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02382.070 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of Henry Jackson Hunt |
| Title | George Brinton McClellan to Henry Jackson Hunt discussing his European vacation, military matters and politics |
| Date | 7 May 1881 |
| Author | McClellan, George Brinton (1826-1885) |
| Recipient | Hunt, Henry Jackson |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Writes from Gramercy Park. Informs Hunt of his upcoming European vacation. States "I am very sorry to hear that there are any intimations of retiring you next year- more on account of the good of the service than your own- except in the matter of pay." Discusses Pope's campaign (possibly referring to General John Pope's Northern Virginia Campaign in 1862) noting that Halleck (General in Chief) should not have allowed Pope to fight until the main body of the Army of the Potomac had joined him. Discusses political matters in New York. Referring to the Republican party, states "it does look as if it could be no easy matter to heal the wounds they are inflicting on each other. It is a free fight & I hope the Dem leaders will have sense enough to play their cards so that we may have some advantages from it." Includes the address where he can be reached in Europe. |
| Subjects | Union General Military History Travel Global History and Civics Soldier's Pay Civil War Army of the Potomac Union Forces Polar Exploration Republican Party Election Government and Civics |
| People | McClellan, George B. (1826-1885) Hunt, Henry Jackson (1819-1889) |
| Place written | New York, New York |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Foreign Affairs; Government & Politics |
| 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 during the Civil War. He was commander of the Department of the South 1880-1883. McClellan commanded the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War, before being relieved of command. He was Governor of New Jersey 1878-1881. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |