James G. Blunt
| James G. Blunt | |
|---|---|
Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt
ca. 1862 |
|
| Born |
July 21, 1826 Trenton, Maine |
| Died | July 27, 1881 (aged 55) Washington, D.C. |
| Place of burial | Mount Muncie Cemetery, Leavenworth, Kansas |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Commands held |
Army of Kansas Army of the Frontier District of the Frontier |
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work | physician, attorney |
James Gillpatrick (or Gilpatrick) Blunt (July 21, 1826 – July 27, 1881) was a physician and abolitionist who rose to the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was defeated by Quantrill's Raiders at the Battle of Baxter Springs in Kansas in 1863, but is considered to have served well as a division commander during Price's Raid in Missouri, which occurred in 1864.
Blunt was born in Trenton, Maine to John Blunt and Sally Gilpatrick Blunt Blunt lived and worked on his family farm until he was 14. He may have spent some time at the Ellsworth Military Academy in Ellsworth, Maine. He became a sailor on a merchant vessel when he was 15, and attained the rank of captain at 20.
In 1845 Blunt moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he enrolled in Starling Medical College. His maternal uncle, Dr. Rufus Gilpatrick, was one of the instructors. Graduating in February 1849, Blunt moved to New Madison, Ohio and started a practice. On January 15, 1850 he married Nancy G. Putman. Blunt practiced medicine and took an active role in county politics as a member of the Republican Party.
In 1856 Blunt and his family relocated to Anderson County, Kansas, following his uncle who had moved there several years earlier. He soon became involved in the conflict before the Civil War known as Bleeding Kansas, when abolitionist and slavery forces battled to control the territory. During a confrontation with the pro-slavery territorial government in 1857, Blunt joined a force including Jim Lane and abolitionist John Brown. Blunt was a key member of the Wyandotte constitutional convention that framed the Kansas state constitution in 1859, and served as chair of the committee on militia.
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