35 Facts About David Hunter

David Hunter served as a Union general during the American Civil War.

David Hunter achieved notability for his unauthorized 1862 order emancipating slaves in three Southern states, for his leadership of United States troops during the Valley Campaigns of 1864, and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln.

David Hunter was the cousin of writer-illustrator David Hunter Strother.

David Hunter served in the infantry for 11 years, and was promoted to captain of the 1st US Dragoons in 1833.

David Hunter resigned from the army in July 1836 and moved to Illinois, where he worked as a real estate agent or speculator.

David Hunter rejoined the Army in November 1841 as a paymaster and was promoted to major in March 1842.

David Hunter began a correspondence with Abraham Lincoln, emphasizing his own strong anti-slavery views.

David Hunter was wounded in the neck and cheek while commanding a division under Irvin McDowell at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861.

David Hunter served as a division commander in the Western Army under Major General John C Fremont, and was appointed as commander of the Western Department on November 2,1861, after Fremont was relieved of command due to his attempt to emancipate the slaves of rebellious slave holders.

David Hunter did not last long in this position, and within two months was reassigned to the Department of Kansas, a post where there was little chance of getting into trouble.

David Hunter did not accept his exile gracefully and wrote a series of fulminating protest letters to the president, who finally gave in to his complaints.

In March 1862, David Hunter was transferred again to command the Department of the South and the X Corps.

David Hunter served as president of the court-martial of Major General Fitz John Porter.

David Hunter served briefly as the assistant inspector general of the Department of the Gulf.

David Hunter was a strong advocate of arming black men as soldiers for the Union cause.

David Hunter planned to form multiple segregated regiments but first needed to grow his recruitment pool.

In May 1862, David Hunter caused controversy by issuing General Orders 11, an order emancipating slaves in the states of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida:.

Confederate President Jefferson Davis issued orders to the Confederate army that David Hunter was to be considered a "felon to be executed if captured".

David Hunter enlisted ex-slaves as soldiers from occupied districts in South Carolina without permission from the War Department.

David Hunter formed the first such Union Army regiment, the 1st South Carolina.

David Hunter was initially ordered to disband it, but eventually got approval from Congress for his action.

David Hunter sent a defiant letter on June 23,1862, to Congress, reminding them of his authority as a commanding officer in a war zone:.

In 1863, David Hunter wrote a letter to Confederate President Jefferson Davis protesting against the Confederate army's brutal mistreatment of captured black US soldiers.

David Hunter replaced Sigel in command of the Army of the Shenandoah and the Department of West Virginia on May 21,1864.

David Hunter's headquarters was at Sandusky House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and now operated as a house museum.

David Hunter badgered Grant with letters a few months later arguing that the army and officers he inherited from Franz Sigel were below average, and that he had never been told that he had any assignment to defend Washington, DC After the war, he wrote a letter to Robert E Lee asking if he as a fellow soldier did not agree with the soundness of the retreat.

Lee, who had a loathing of David Hunter, wrote back that he had no clue what the exact strategic value of retreating into West Virginia was, but that it had been extremely helpful to himself and the Confederate cause.

The burning of the Virginia Military Institute by David Hunter angered the Confederates and made them more vengeful than before.

David Hunter therefore informed him that he could retain department command on paper while Sheridan did the active field campaigning.

David Hunter however declined this offer, stating that he had been so beset by contradictory War Department orders that he had no idea where Jubal Early's army even was, and he would rather just turn everything over to Sheridan.

David Hunter was promoted to brevet major general in the regular army on March 13,1865, an honor that was relatively common for senior officers late in the war.

David Hunter served in the honor guard at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln and accompanied his body back to Springfield.

David Hunter was the president of the military commission trying the conspirators of Lincoln's assassination, from May 8 to July 15,1865.

David Hunter was the author of Report of the Military Services of Gen.

David Hunter died in Washington, DC, and is buried at the Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, New Jersey.