The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-02-14

and served in garrison at Fort McHenry, Fort
Monroe and Fort Moultrie until 1853, when,
having been promoted to Captain of light
battery, he was ordered TO the frontier, and re-
manned at Fort Wichita, Ind. Ter, until 1856.
In the latter year he was detailed as men,
Der Of board of artillery officers to revise the
tactics, and the light artillery tactics prepared
by that board, and officially adopted in 1860,
directed all of the eyolHtions of our field ar
tillery during the whole of the rebellion. In
1857 he Joined his battery at Fort Leaven-
worth, during the Kansas Free State troubles,
but saw no active service in the field there in
1883 he returned to duty on the light artillery
board here, and on the adoption Of the tactics
went to Fort Brown, Tex.
The battalion of the ID Art, to which
his battery was attached, escaped the traitor
Gus surrender of Twiggs and when the rebel
lion began at last he was at Harpers Ferry.
In the first Bull Run campaign he com
manded the artillery of the extreme left and
two days later was appointed Chief of Artil-
lery of the Defenses of Washington south ofthe
Potomac, and also served as President of
board to test riaedl field guns and their pro-
jectiles. Before that time all of the light ar
tillery was armed with six and 12-pOunder
smooth bores, known as howitzers, and this
boards recommendation brought rihed guns
into use in our army for field work.
During the Winter of 1862, under COM
mission-of Colonel and Additional Abide Camp
to Lieut.-Gen. Scott. he was engaged in organ
izing the Reserve Artillery Brigade ofthe Army
of the Potomac, to the command of which he was
ordered by Gen. Mcclellan March l, 1862. In
that command he did splendid service on the
Peninsula campaign against Richmond, and
was twice recommended for promotion to
gadier-General. He was engaged at the
siege of Yorktown, Gaines's Mills and other
actions; and it was his disposition and hand
ling Of tho RaSnrva A rfillaFv that brnuUht n
the great artillery duel of Malvern Hill
During the Maryland campaign he succeeded
Gen. VIM. I. Barry Sept. 1, 1862. as Chief of
Artillery of the Army of the Potomac, and
Sept. 10 was promoted to Brigad ier- General,
being engaged actively at South Mountain and
Antietam, and in the fighting near Shepards-
town to prevent Gen. Lees trains from crossing
the Potomac into Virginia.
After the march to the RappaharTsssjS, lie
spent the time wasted there syssJs.Gss Tor pom
toons in examining perser - s9eIy foot of the
north banks of the rl.rAfz10Ve and below Fred
ericksburg, ans i vas he that posted the long
line OF G0sae-&seT 800 pieees-that opened the
t2r3fe.e .sEgOnade upon Fredericksburg and
tis9.fsbel camps on the morning of Dec IL,
1902 that ushered in the frutless effort OF
1 Burnside to drive Lee out of his intrenehments.
Then came the disastrous Charlottesville
campaign, In which his work did much to save
! bad from being worse and then the battle Of
! Gettysburg, when Lee was turned flying back
| from his invasion of the North. and where the
artillery of the Army of the Potomac did bet
ter work and was better served than ever be-
| fore in military history.
Military writers and soldiers at home and in
| foreign lands give great credit to the work
| done by the artillery at Gettysburg IN deter
mining the glorious result, and all alike give
! Gen. Hunt the credit for valuable and magnif-
| cent service. There ne gained the breYets OF
| Colonel. U. S. Army, and Major General Of
! Volunteers.
The passage of the Rappahannock (NOv. s.
! Mine Kun, the Wilderness, SpOttsy lVania, Cold
| Harbor, the siege of Petersburg. the breaking
| of the rebel lines at Petersburg, and the pur-
\ suit and final surrender of Gen. Lee and his
army, are chapters of the history of the war Of
| the rebellion on all of which Gen. Hunts
name Is broadly written.
After the war he was on duty for a time al
/ the Artillery Camp near Bladensburg, as In.
! structor of Field Artillery, but in the Fall Of
| 1865 was sent to command the Frontier Dis.
| trict of Arkansas, where he remained until he
returned to Washington as President of the
/ new y-Organized Permanent Artillery Board
/ and remained until 1867 when he went tG
command Fort Independence in Boston Har-
! Dor.
When mustered out as Brigadier- General Of
/ Volunteers, Sept. /, 1866, his rank in the Regu.
i
/ Breyet Major General, having been hrevetted
| twice for Petersburg and for gallant and
/ meritorious services in the field during the re-
| beilion." In April 1869, he was promoted &c
Colonel, 5th Art, and held that position hneaily
! when he was placed on the retired list, Sept
! Ii, 1888. on reaching O. years of age.
Gen. Hunt was twice married, his last wife
1 being daughter of the late Col. Henry K
| Craig, formerly Chief Of Ordnance and one Of
! their sons was Lieut.. Henry ]. Hunt jr U. s
/ Navy, who contracted pulmonary disease while
with Commodore Sehey in his expedition &c
| the Arctic to rescue Gen. Greedy and his men
and who died in 1886.
During Gen. Hunts service after the war he
| was for considerable time in command of the
! Department of the South, under assignment
| with his brevet of Majo General, aud il was
| 8 queer circumstance connected with thai
assignment that it was found necessary to also
assign Maj.-Geu. Hancock to duty with his
brevet rank of Major General; as otherwise
| the subordinate Department Commander out
ranked his superior Division Commander.
Gen. Hunts aunt his fathers sister, was the
wife of the veteran soldier aud statesman, Gen
Lewis Cass, who made Michigan State In
1884 Gen. Hunt was appointed by President
! Arthur as Governor of the Soldiers Home, anu
| has remained there ever since.