A. P. Hill

Ambrose Powell Hill (November 9, 1825 – April 2, 1865), was a Confederate States of America general in the American Civil War. He gained early fame as the commander of "Hill's Light Division," becoming one of Stonewall Jackson's ablest subordinates. He later commander a corps under Robert E. Lee in the Army of Northern Virginia before his death in battle just prior to the end of the war.

Related Topics:
November 9 - 1825 - April 2 - 1865 - Confederate States of America - American Civil War - Stonewall Jackson - Robert E. Lee - Army of Northern Virginia

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A. P. Hill, known to his soldiers as Little Powell, was born in Culpeper, Virginia, and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1847, ranking 15th in a class of 38 graduates. He was appointed to the 1st U.S. Artillery as a second lieutenant. He served in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars and was promoted to first lieutenant in September 1851. From 1855 – 1860, Hill was employed on the United States' coast survey. In 1859, he married Kitty Morgan McClung, a young widow.

Related Topics:
Culpeper, Virginia - United States Military Academy - 1847 - Second lieutenant - Mexican-American War - Seminole Wars - First lieutenant - September - 1851 - 1855 - 1860 - 1859

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In March of 1861, just before the outbreak of the Civil War, Powell resigned his U.S. Army commission. When Virginia seceded, he was made colonel of a Virginia infantry regiment, winning promotion to the rank of brigadier general on the field of Bull Run.

Related Topics:
March - 1861 - Virginia - Seceded - Colonel - Regiment - Brigadier general - Bull Run

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In the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, he gained further promotion, and as a major general, Hill was one of the most prominent and successful divisional commanders of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Hill's Light Division (which was actually one of the largest in the army) distinguished itself in the Seven Days Battles, Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. His division formed part of Stonewall Jackson's corps; after Jackson was severely wounded in the flank attack of Chancellorsville in May 1863, Hill took command of the corps and was wounded himself.

Related Topics:
Peninsula Campaign - 1862 - Major general - Seven Days Battles - Cedar Mountain - Second Bull Run - Antietam - Fredericksburg - Stonewall Jackson - Chancellorsville - May - 1863

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After Jackson's death, Hill was promoted to lieutenant general and placed in command of the newly created Third Corps of Lee's army, which he led in the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863, the autumn campaign of the same year, and the Overland Campaign and Petersburg siege of 1864 – 1865. He once said he had no desire to live to see the collapse of the Confederacy, and was killed by a Union soldier as he rode to the front of the Petersburg lines on April 2, 1865.

Related Topics:
Lieutenant general - Gettysburg Campaign - Overland Campaign - Petersburg - 1864 - 1865 - Union - April 2

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Hill did not escape controversy during the war. He suffered from frequent illnesses that reduced his effectiveness at Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. (Some historians believe he suffered from complications of veneral disease contracted as a West Point cadet.) At Gettysburg, his actions precipitating the battle on July 1, 1863, before Lee's full army was concentrated have been widely criticized.

Related Topics:
Gettysburg - Wilderness - Spotsylvania Court House - July 1 - 1863

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Nevertheless, Hill was one of the war's most highly regarded generals on either side. He had a reputation for arriving on battlefields (such as Antietam, Cedar Mountain, and Second Bull Run) just in time to prove decisive and achieve victory. On their death beds, both Lee and Jackson deliriously called for A. P. Hill to ?bring up his troops.?

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Fort A.P. Hill, named after Hill, is located in Virginia, about half-way between Washington, D.C., and Richmond.

Related Topics:
Fort A.P. Hill - Virginia - Washington, D.C. - Richmond

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