Daniel Harvey Hill | |
---|---|
Born |
York District, South Carolina |
July 12, 1821
Died | September 24, 1889 Charlotte, North Carolina |
(aged 68)
Place of Burial | Davidson College Cemetery |
Allegiance |
United States of America Confederate States of America |
Service/branch |
United States Army Confederate States Army |
Years of service | 1842–49 (USA) 1861–65 (CSA) |
Rank |
First Lieutenant (USA) Brevet Major (USA) Lieutenant General (CSA) |
Unit |
1st U.S. Artillery 4th U.S. Infantry |
Commands held |
1st North Carolina Infantry D.H. Hill's Division, ANV II Corps, Army of Tennessee |
Battles/wars | |
Other work |
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Daniel Harvey Hill (July 12, 1821 – September 24, 1889) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War and a Southern scholar. He was known as an aggressive leader, and as an austere, deeply religious man, with a dry, sarcastic humor. He was brother-in-law to Stonewall Jackson, a close friend to both James Longstreet and Joseph E. Johnston, but disagreements with both Robert E. Lee and Braxton Bragg cost him favor with Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Although his military ability was well respected, he was underutilized by the end of the Civil War on account of these political feuds.
Daniel Harvey Hill is usually referred to as D.H. Hill in historical writing, in part to distinguish him from unrelated Confederate general A.P. Hill, who served with him in the Army of Northern Virginia.
D.H. Hill was born at Hill's Iron Works, in York District, South Carolina to Solomon and Nancy Cabeen Hill. His paternal grandfather, Col. William "Billy" Hill, was a native of Ireland who had an iron foundry in York District where he made cannon for the Continental Army. His maternal grandfather was a native of Scotland. Hill graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1842, ranking 28 out of 56 cadets, and was appointed to the 1st United States Artillery. As an infantry officer he distinguished himself in the Mexican-American War, being brevetted to captain for bravery at the Battle of Contreras and Churubusco, and brevetted to major for bravery at the Battle of Chapultepec. Among the slaves owned by the Hill family during Daniel Harvey's youth was Elias Hill, whom Daniel Harvey helped teach to read and write and who later became a preacher and led his congregation in emigrating to Liberia.