428 



HILL, AMBROSE P. 



utterly. In 1861 he received the appointment 

 of United States Consul at Trieste, being then 

 by the dying bed of his eldest sister, through 

 whose earnest and tender solicitations he was, 

 after much doubt and fear, induced to accept 

 the position, and left her grave to embark for 

 Europe. His wife and son accompanied him, 

 and under the sunny skies of Italy he for a 

 time recovered a good measure of his former 

 health. But it soon again gave way under the 

 pressure of his official and still continued liter- 

 ary labors. During the summer of last year 

 he became almost insane, and recovered his 

 mental consciousness only to sink gradually 

 away into the arms of death. 



HILL, Lieut.-Gen. AMBKOSE POWELL, an 

 officer in the Confederate army, born in Cul- 

 pepper County, Va., in 1824, killed in the as- 

 sault on Petersburg, Va., April 2, 1865. His 

 father was for many years a leading politician 

 and merchant in Culpepper County. The 

 future lieutenant-general entered the Military 

 Academy . in 1843, and graduated with fair 

 standing in his class in 1847, in the same class 

 with Gen. Burnside. There being no vacancy, 

 he received the brevet rank of second lieuten- 

 ant in the first artillery, and on the 22d of Au- 

 gust of the same year attained a full second 

 lieutenancy. He was promoted to be first lieu- 

 tenant in September, 1851, and in 1855 to be 

 captain. In November of that year he was 

 appointed an assistant on the United States 

 Coast Survey, in which he continued till March 

 1st, 1861, when he resigned his connection with 

 the regular army; and when Virginia seceded 

 from the Union, he sought and received an ap- 

 pointment from Gov. Letcher as colonel of the 

 13th regiment of Virginia volunteers. He was 

 attached to Johnston's army, and stationed at 

 first at Harper's Ferry, and in the battle of 

 Manassas, or Bull Bun, came in with Johnston's 

 troops in season to turn the issue of the battle. 

 At WiUiamsburg, in May, 1862, he held the 

 rank of 'brigadier-general, anc 1 distinguished 

 himself as a gallant fighter in tha u battle. For 

 his bravery in this battle he was made major- 

 general, and on the 25th of June, 1862, formed 

 one of the council of war held in Richmond. 

 He took part in the battle of Mechanicsville on 

 the 26th of June, and in the succeeding battles 

 of what is known as "The Seven Days," he 

 was a prominent actor, and gained a brilliant 

 reputation for bravery and skill in the handling 

 of his troops He was actively engaged in the 

 battles of Cedar Run, or Cedar Mountain, in 

 the Groveton or second Bull Run battle, in 

 the attack near Centreville on the 30th of 

 August, at Chantilly, and in the campaign before 

 "Washington, in which Gen. Pope was the Fed- 

 eral commander. On the 14th of September, 

 18C2, he captured Harper's Ferry, and made a 

 forced march to Antietam Creek, where he ar- 

 rived in season to take part in that severe but 

 indecisive battle, and on the 19th repulsed the 

 Federal troops, who crossed the river in pur- 

 suit of the rebels, with heavy loss. In the 



battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, his 

 division formed the right of Jackson's force, 

 and fought desperately, finally repulsing the 

 Federal troops. At Chancellorsville, in May, 



1863, his division formed the centre of Jack- 

 Bon's command, and participated in that flank 

 movement by which Hooker's right was so 

 effectually crushed. "When " Stonewall " Jack- 

 son received his death wound, the command 

 devolved on Gen. Hill, who was himself se- 

 verely wounded soon after. For his gallantry 

 in this battle he was made a lieutenant-general, 

 and placed permanently in command of one 

 of the three great corps into which the army 

 of Virginia was divided. On the 1st, 2d, and 

 3d of July, 1863, he led his corps in the severe 

 battle of Gettysburg, and though successful the 

 first day, was unsuccessful on the second and 

 third. In the autumn of 1863 he was con- 

 cerned in the affair at Bristoe Station with a 

 part of his corps, but was repulsed with serious 

 loss. In the great battles of the spring of 



1864, Gen. Hill was, next to Gen. Lee, the 

 most prominent actor in the army of Virginia. 

 On the 5th of May, from 2 p. M. till long after 

 nightfall, he was engaged in a most desperate 

 but indecisive conflict, and the early dawn 

 would have found him hi a position of extreme 

 peril had not Longstreet's corps been brought 

 up to reenforce him at 2 A. M. The fighting of 

 the 6th of May was very severe, and in this 

 Hill took a full share, but it was no more de- 

 cisive than that of the previous day. In the 

 movement toward Spottsylvania, HiU aided by 

 his counsel, but his corps was not engaged. 

 In the battle of Mechanicsville, Hill's corps sus- 

 tained the brunt of the attack, and under his 

 eye fought with great heroism. In the battle 

 of the 3d of June, at Cold Harbor, the corps 

 was at first in reserve, but supported the other 

 corps before the battle was over. On the 22d 

 of June his corps and Longstreet's repulsed the 

 attempt of the Federal troops to gain posses- 

 sion of the Weldon Railroad, and drove them 

 back with severe loss. At the explosion of the 

 mine on the lines of Petersburg, on the 30th 

 of July, in the engagement at Reams' Station, 

 on the 25th of August, in the battle of Hatch- 

 er's Run, October 28-30, and the subsequent 

 movements in that vicinity, in December, 1864, 

 and February, 1865, Gen. Hill led his corps 

 with great ability, and in almost every instance 

 repulsed the Federal troops. "When the final 

 attack upon the South Side Railroad and the 

 defences of Petersburg came (March 29-April 

 2), Gen. Hill was active and indefatigable in his 

 exertions to repel the Federal attack, and on 

 the 2d of April, for the possession of the works 

 in front of Petersburg, his corps was opposed 

 to the 6th, 9th, and part of the 25th Federal 

 corps, almost single-handed, and then, as al- 

 ways, exposing himself to fire without hesita- 

 tion, he was instantly killed by a rifle-shot, and 

 as time was pressing, the evacuation of the city 

 being determined upon, was buried the same 

 day. 



