Charles Henry Hunter (September 19, 1817 – June 3, 1870), was a Pennsylvania militia officer and physician from Berks County, Pennsylvania, who served in the American Civil War.
Charles Henry Hunter | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 29, 1817 Rockland, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | June 3, 1870 (aged 52) Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Pennsylvania |
| Service/ | Infantry |
| Years of service | 1856–1863 (Pennsylvania Militia) |
| Rank |  Brigadier general (militia) |
| Unit | Washington Grays (Philadelphia) 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia Infantry Regiment |
| Commands held | 1st Brigade, 5th Division Pennsylvania Militia (1856) 42nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia Infantry Regiment (1863) |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Spouse(s) | Emilie Elizabeth Nicholson. |
| Other work | Physician |
Early life and education edit
Hunter was born on September 19, 1817, in Rockland, Pennsylvania in Berks County, Pennsylvania, the sixth child of Jacob VanReed Hunter and Sarah Fisher. He had eight siblings, five older and three younger. Hunter attended college and graduated from Princeton University in 1837 and from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in 1841.
Career edit
Hunter began practicing as a physician, but was also interested in military affairs, and he enlisted as a private into the Washington Grays (Philadelphia), a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania militia regiment, and was later promoted captain. In 1856, he was commissioned a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania Militia and given the command of the 1st Brigade, 5th Division, Pennsylvania Volunteers. In 1860, Hunter married Emilie Elizabeth Nicholson.
American Civil War edit
When the American Civil War began in 1861, Hunter sided with the Union. On September 12, 1861, he became the Captain of Company E, 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia Infantry Regiment, before the regiment mustered out in late September 1862.[1] On July 6, 1863, Hunter was mustered in as the colonel of the 42nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia Infantry, an emergency regiment formed to fight Confederate General Robert E. Lee's invasion into Pennsylvania that became known as the Gettysburg Campaign.[2] Hunter and the 42nd Pennsylvania Militia mustered out on August 12, 1863, without seeing any action. In 1864, he became a Surgeon in the Volunteer Aid Corps under the Major Joseph Smith.[3]
Personal life edit
Charles Hunter and Emilie Elizabeth Nicholson had six sons, Charles H. Hunter (born 1860), Jacob Van Reed Hunter (born 1862), James Nicholson Hunter (born 1865), Henry M. Hunter (born 1867), and Edward Clymer Hunter (born 1869).
Death edit
He died of heart disease on June 3, 1870, in Reading, Pennsylvania. He was buried in Charles Evans Cemetery.[4][5]
References edit
- ^ "11th Regiment Militia Infantry Company E". www.ranger95.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 2015-02-22.(dead link 26 Nov 2018)
- ^ "Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1777–1999 for Doctor Charles H Hunter". interactive.ancestry.com/1967/31501_B018277-00031/215505?back. Archived from the original on 2017-02-20. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ "Col Charles H. Hunter". www.findagrave.com.
- ^ "Death of Dr. Charles H. Hunter". Reading Times and Dispatch. 1870-06-04. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-04-30 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Funeral of Dr. C. H. Hunter". Reading Times. 1870-06-08. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-04-30 – via Newspapers.com.
