Sherod Hunter
Encyclopedia
Sherod Hunter was the commander of the Confederate unit operating against Union Army
forces in present day Arizona
during the American Civil War
. Later commanded various Confederate Cavalry units in the Civil War in the Trans Mississippi Theater.
, but was orphaned in 1840 and raised by various relatives. Hunter was married in November 1855 to the daughter of his business partner, Thomas Goodrich, with whom he operated a grocery business. On March 3, 1857 Sherod Hunter had a son however, his wife weakened by the hard childbirth, died ten days later, on Friday, 13 March 1857, and his died soon afterward on 6 July 1857.
Following this double tragedy, Hunter sold his interest in his business to his father-in-law and left Tennessee . About 1858 or 1859 he settled and began to farm land beside the Mimbres River
, near Mowry City
in Dona Ana County (now Luna County, New Mexico
), New Mexico Territory
.
s drove him from his farm in southwestern New Mexico. He joined Captain George Frazer's Company of Arizona Rangers and was promoted Lieutenant of the unit, on August 1, 1861. It was part of a battalion of Texas troops under John R. Baylor, which had recently occupied the town of Mesilla, New Mexico. In January 1862 Hunter, having risen to the rank of Captain, was sent west at the head of Company A, Arizona Rangers
, a 54-man detachment by Confederate general Henry Hopkins Sibley
(who was preparing an invasion of New Mexico from Texas at the time). Hunter's destination was Tucson, Arizona
; his mission, to protect its pro-Confederate citizens from Apache raids and to watch for any Union forces advancing from California
. His group, along with Colonel James Riley and a small escort, who were traveling to Mexico
on Sibley's behalf, arrived in Tucson on February 28, 1862 and established Confederate occupation of the town. Hunter's men fought engagements against the California Column
at Stanwix Station
and Picacho Pass
before retreating east to Texas in May 1862. During the journey, four of Hunter's men were killed by Apaches in the Second Battle of Dragoon Springs
. Their retreat was followed by the Union reoccupation of Tucson
the following month.
Hunter rejoined Sibley's army after its failed New Mexico invasion, seeing further service in Texas and Louisiana. On June 23, 1863 Hunter, now a Major in the Confederate Army, took part in a successful attack on Union troops at Brashear City
, Louisiana; the Union force surrendered to Hunter after a brief resistance.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
forces in present day Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Later commanded various Confederate Cavalry units in the Civil War in the Trans Mississippi Theater.
Early life
Sherod Hunter was born on March 5, 1834 in Lincoln County, TennesseeLincoln County, Tennessee
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. , the population was 31,340. Its county seat is Fayetteville. It is named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, an officer in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
, but was orphaned in 1840 and raised by various relatives. Hunter was married in November 1855 to the daughter of his business partner, Thomas Goodrich, with whom he operated a grocery business. On March 3, 1857 Sherod Hunter had a son however, his wife weakened by the hard childbirth, died ten days later, on Friday, 13 March 1857, and his died soon afterward on 6 July 1857.
Following this double tragedy, Hunter sold his interest in his business to his father-in-law and left Tennessee . About 1858 or 1859 he settled and began to farm land beside the Mimbres River
Mimbres River
The Mimbres River is a river in southwestern New Mexico. It forms from snow pack and runoff on the south-western slopes of the Black Range and flows into a small endorheic basin east of Deming, New Mexico. The uplands watershed are administered by the US Forest Service, while the land in the...
, near Mowry City
Mowry City, New Mexico
Mowry City is a ghost town first in Dona Anna County, then Grant County and finally in Luna County, New Mexico about 25 miles north of Deming, New Mexico...
in Dona Ana County (now Luna County, New Mexico
Luna County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*77.7% White*1.1% Black*1.3% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.6% Two or more races*16.8% Other races*61.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
), New Mexico Territory
New Mexico Territory
thumb|right|240px|Proposed boundaries for State of New Mexico, 1850The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of...
.
Civil War
Hunter began his service with the Confederacy in May 1861, after local ApacheApache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
s drove him from his farm in southwestern New Mexico. He joined Captain George Frazer's Company of Arizona Rangers and was promoted Lieutenant of the unit, on August 1, 1861. It was part of a battalion of Texas troops under John R. Baylor, which had recently occupied the town of Mesilla, New Mexico. In January 1862 Hunter, having risen to the rank of Captain, was sent west at the head of Company A, Arizona Rangers
Company A, Arizona Rangers
Company A, Arizona Rangers was one of the Confederate military units raised in the Confederate Arizona Territory.- Origin of the Arizona Rangers :...
, a 54-man detachment by Confederate general Henry Hopkins Sibley
Henry Hopkins Sibley
Henry Hopkins Sibley was a brigadier general during the American Civil War, leading the Confederate States Army in the New Mexico Territory. His attempt to gain control of trails to California was defeated at the Battle of Glorieta Pass...
(who was preparing an invasion of New Mexico from Texas at the time). Hunter's destination was Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
; his mission, to protect its pro-Confederate citizens from Apache raids and to watch for any Union forces advancing from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. His group, along with Colonel James Riley and a small escort, who were traveling to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on Sibley's behalf, arrived in Tucson on February 28, 1862 and established Confederate occupation of the town. Hunter's men fought engagements against the California Column
California Column
The California Column, a force of Union volunteers, marched from April to August 1862 over 900 miles from California, across the southern New Mexico Territory to the Rio Grande and then into western Texas during the American Civil War. At the time, this was the longest trek through desert terrain...
at Stanwix Station
Stanwix Station
Stanwix Station, in western Arizona, was a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail Stagecoach line built in the later 1850s near the Gila River about east of Yuma, Arizona. Originally the station was called Flap Jack Ranch later Grinnell's Ranch or Grinnell's Station...
and Picacho Pass
Battle of Picacho Pass
The Battle of Picacho Pass or the Battle of Picacho Peak was an engagement of the American Civil War on April 15, 1862. The action occurred all around Picacho Peak, northwest of Tucson, Arizona...
before retreating east to Texas in May 1862. During the journey, four of Hunter's men were killed by Apaches in the Second Battle of Dragoon Springs
Second Battle of Dragoon Springs
The Second Battle of Dragoon Springs was one of many skirmishes involving Apache warriors and Confederate soldiers. It was fought during the American Civil War on May 9, 1862 and was a response to the First Battle of Dragoon Springs in which Confederate forces were defeated. Four men were killed in...
. Their retreat was followed by the Union reoccupation of Tucson
Capture of Tucson (1862)
The Capture of Tucson was a United States attack on Tucson in Confederate Arizona on May 20, 1862. A Union force of 2,000 took the city from ten Tucson militiamen without a shot fired.-Background:...
the following month.
Hunter rejoined Sibley's army after its failed New Mexico invasion, seeing further service in Texas and Louisiana. On June 23, 1863 Hunter, now a Major in the Confederate Army, took part in a successful attack on Union troops at Brashear City
Morgan City, Louisiana
Morgan City is a city in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census....
, Louisiana; the Union force surrendered to Hunter after a brief resistance.