Henry Baxter Henry Baxter ( September 8 , 1821 – December 30 , 1873 ) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War . At the Battle of Gettysburg , his brigade resisted a Confederate assault from parts of Maj . Gen . Robert E . Rodes ' s division , slaughtering hundreds in a surprise attack on Colonel Alfred Iverson ' s brigade , and held the north flank of the Union position for much of the day before retiring due to lack of ammunition . He was wounded four times during the war . He later served as President Grant ' s Minister to Honduras . Early life and career . Baxter was born in Sidney Plains , Delaware County , New York . His grandfathers had both served in the American Revolutionary War . In 1831 , he and his father moved to Jonesville , Michigan . In 1849 , he traveled to California with a company of thirty men in search of gold , returning in 1852 to Jonesville to become a miller . He commanded a military unit he organized known as the Jonesville Light Guards . Civil War . Early assignments . Due to his military experience , Baxter was elected captain of a local company that became Company C of the 7th Michigan Infantry Regiment . He was wounded severely in the abdomen during the Seven Days Battles . During the Battle of Antietam , as lieutenant colonel of his regiment , he was wounded again in the right leg as his regiment was decimated along with the rest of Maj . Gen . John Sedgwick ' s division during an ambush . He left for Michigan to recuperate , and was promoted to command of the regiment prior to the Battle of Fredericksburg . His regiment was selected to make an amphibious assault to drive Confederate sharpshooters out of the town , and they were successful , although Baxter was again wounded , this time in the left shoulder . When he returned to duty , he was appointed brigadier general on March 12 , 1863 . Gettysburg . At the Battle of Gettysburg , Baxter ' s I Corps brigade arrived around noon just as Confederate Maj . Gen . Robert Rodes ' s 8 , 000 man division began to appear on Oak Hill . Baxter ' s brigade advanced far beyond the nearest Federal brigade on the right flank of the line and deployed in a V shaped formation along the Mummasburg Road . Rodes ' s division attacked piecemeal , and scores of Colonel Edward A . O ' Neal ' s men were mowed down . Shortly afterward , a Confederate brigade under Colonel Alfred Iverson advanced without skirmishers and moved past Baxter ' s men , who were hidden behind a stone wall . Suddenly , the men of Baxter ' s brigade rose up and delivered a lethal fire into the North Carolinians . In one of the most one - sided exchanges during the war , Baxter ' s surprise attack killed , wounded and captured 758 of 1300 men in Confederate Iverson ' s brigade and eliminated it as an effective fighting force in under ten minutes . Running low on ammunition , Baxter ' s men withdrew to the north end of Cemetery Ridge , having lost all of the officers on Baxter ' s staff and close to half the brigade in defense of the I Corps right flank . He received glowing praise from his division commander , Maj . Gen . John C . Robinson , and a subordinate wrote that , " I wish to say one word outside of my regiment in regard to Generals Baxter and Robinson . They were on every part of the field , encouraging and stimulating the men by their presence and bravery . " 1864 – 1865 . Baxter retained command of his brigade during the reorganization of the Army of the Potomac in March 1864 , a sign that he held the confidence of his superiors . His brigade was assigned to the 2nd Division , V Corps , under Maj . Gen . Robinson . At the Battle of the Wilderness , he was shot in the left leg , the bullet also killing his horse . After recuperating , he led a brigade in the 3rd Division , V Corps , during later stages of the siege of Richmond and Petersburg . He was mustered out of the volunteers on August 24 , 1865 . On May 31 , 1866 , President Andrew Johnson nominated Baxter for the award of the brevet grade of major general to rank from April 1 , 1865 and the U . S . Senate confirmed the award on July 23 , 1866 . Postbellum career . Baxter served as Register of Deeds for the State of Michigan and was then appointed by President Grant as Minister to Honduras in 1869 . He returned home in 1872 and became active in the lumber business before dying from pneumonia in 1873 . He died in Jonesville and is buried in Jonesville Cemetery .