Scope and Content Note
The papers of Henry Jackson Hunt (1819-1889) cover the period from 1841 to 1978, with the bulk of the items concentrated in the period 1862 to 1889. The early years of Hunt's military career are depicted in a journal of the Utah Expedition (1857) and a letterbook dating from 1841 to 1853. The remainder of the collection covers Hunt's career as chief of artillery of the Army of the Potomac (1863-1865), military commander at Charleston, S.C., and Atlanta, Ga. (1875-1880), commander, Department of the South (1880-1883), and governor of the Soldier's Home, Washington, D.C. (1885-1889). The papers are organized in the following series: Journals, Letterbooks, General Correspondence, Military Papers, Subject File, and Miscellany.
The bulk of the material in the collection consists of general correspondence and military papers. Almost half of the correspondence is between Hunt and Thomas Tasker Gantt of St. Louis, Mo., (1879-1889) and covers such topics as wartime reminiscences, contemporary military affairs, and national politics. The military papers are concentrated in the years 1862-1865 and cover such battles as Fredricksburg, Aquia, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Rappahanock Station, Petersburg (also described in a journal of siege operations), Brandy Station, and the Wilderness. They also shed light on general artillery operations through monthly reports and reports on battery construction, equipment, stable conditions, and supplies. Reports, memoranda, correspondence, and printed matter concerning various plans formulated by Hunt (1861-1874) for the reorganization of the artillery and his attempt to secure a pension as a retired major general through a private bill in Congress are found in the Subject File. Miscellaneous printed matter, biographical material and photographs are also included.
Correspondents include William F. Barry, Carl Berlin, John N. Craig, Thomas Tasker Gantt, Patrick Hart, Andrew Atkinson Humphreys, George Brinton McClellan, George Gordon Meade, William T. Sherman, John C. Tidball, Edward Davis Townsend, and Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright.