Henry Jackson Hunt

Service summary:
At graduation from West Point, he was Brevet 2nd LT, 2nd US Artillery, 1 July 1839;
1st Lt on 18 June 1846, Captain 28 Sept 1852;
Promoted to Major, 5th US Artillery, 14 May 1861;
Colonel (vols) 28 Sept 1861;
Appointed Brig Gen of Volunteers 15 Sept 1862 (honorably mustered out of volunteer service 30 April 1866);
Appointed Lt Col, 3rd US Artillery (Regular Army), 1 Aug 1863;
Colonel, 5th US Artillery, 4 April 1869;
Retired 14 Sept 1883

Cited (by brevets) for heroism at battles of Contreras, Churubusco, Chapultepec (War with Mexico, 1847), Gettysburg, and Petersburg (Civil War).

He was appointed Chief of Artillery for the Army of the Potomac (AoP) just at the beginning of the Maryland Campaign, on Sept 5. He had the very difficult tasks of integrating artillery units from the (former) Armies of Banks and Pope into this those of the AoP, and also the refitting and consolidation of units which had been in battle for most of the preceding 4 months or more. In addition, he was implementing a new kind of artillery command structure which assigned batteries to Divisional and Corps battalions for more central command and control. In all these tasks he was quite successfull, especially remarkable considering the Army was on the road for the entire period between his appointment and the battle.

McClellan's Chief of Artillery for the Army of the Potomac.

Source: Heitman, Francis Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army 1789-1903, Washington, US Government Printing Office, 1903.

1819 in MI

2/11/1889