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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02382.049 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of Henry Jackson Hunt |
| Title | John Gibbon to Henry Jackson Hunt regarding a book by Andrew Atkinson Humphreys |
| Date | 9 October 1883 |
| Author | Gibbon, John (1827-1896) |
| Recipient | Hunt, Henry Jackson |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Mentions an editorial in the 3 June 1883 issue of an unspecified Herald, which Gibbon had previously requested from Hunt. States that the Herald contained a review of a book by Andrew Atkinson Humphreys (possibly The Virginia campaign of ’64 and ’65; the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the James, published in 1883). The review refers to a mistake made by Gibbon during the campaign; Gibbon asks Hunt to ascertain Humphreys' source of information regarding details of the book, and mentions Hancock and Mitchell (possibly General Winfield Scott Hancock and W. G. Mitchell, his aide-de-camp during the Wilderness Campaign). Discusses at length what he perceives to be false information in the article and book regarding an order he allegedly received from Hancock. Mentions Logan's retirement bill (possibly referring to Senator John Logan, chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs). Discusses retirement possibilities for military veterans, and wishes Bragg (possibly General Edward Bragg) was in Congress. Mentions family and personal matters. |
| Subjects | Military History Union General Journalism Civil War Union Forces Battle Literature and Language Arts Battle of the Wilderness Soldier's Pay Pension |
| People | Gibbon, John (1827-1896) Hunt, Henry Jackson (1819-1889) Humphreys, Andrew Atkinson (1810-1883) Hancock, Winfield Scott (1824-1886) Logan, John Alexander (1826-1886) Bragg, Edward Stuyvesant (1827-1912) |
| Place written | Fort Laramie, Wyoming |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Arts & Literature; 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 was governor of the Soldiers' Home in Washington, D.C. from 1883 until his death. Gibbon, a Civil War general, continued in the military after the war, serving in the Montana Territory and Pacific Northwest. He commanded Fort Laramie in 1883, and the Department of the Platte in 1884. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |