State War Records |
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NAME |
Hill, Daniel Harvey |
BORN |
July 12, 1821 York District, SC |
DIED |
September 24, 1889 Charlotte, North Carolina |
ARMY |
Confederate |
Hill was graduated at West Point in 1842. He was assigned to the Artillery and sent to the Maine frontier. During the Mexican War, he participated in nearly every important engagement, and attracted notice by his conspicuous courage. He soon rose to the rank of 1st lieutenant, won the brevet of captain and major.
He served at Fortress Monroe in 1848, and on February 28, 1849, resigned from the army to accept the professorship of mathematics at Washington college, Virginia. In 1852, he was married, and in 1854, he became a professor in Davidson College, North Carolina. In 1859, impressed with the duty of preparing the South for defense, he accepted the position of commandant and manager of the North Carolina Military Institute. During this period, he was the author of several educational and theological works. After instructing the North Carolina Volunteers, he was permitted to select 12 of the best companies as the 1st Regiment and commissioned as a Colonel on May 11, 1861.
Hill was assigned to command in the defenses of Yorktown. He played a leading role in the victory at Big Bethel. Promoted to Brigadier General and assigned to the command of the North Carolina coast. He served for a time in northern Virginia and then returned to the Peninsula as a division leader with the rank of major general. He saw action at Yorktown, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, and during the Seven Days Campaign.
Hill was left in southeastern Virginia during the 2nd Bull Run Campaign, he rejoined Gen. Robert E. Lee's army for the Maryland Campaign, performing well at both South Mountain and Antietam. His last battle with the Army of Northern Virginia came at Fredericksburg. He then returned to command the Department of North Carolina until named a lieutenant general and ordered to Bragg's army, where he was put in command of the divisions of Gens. Cleburne and Breckinridge. He took over Lieutenant Gen. William J. Hardee's old corps, leading it at Chickamauga. At Chickamauga, he was permitted just before night to take charge of the forward movement of 3 lines, which swept over the breastworks of Thomas and caught 5,000 prisoners.
Disgusted with Gen. Braxton Bragg's failure to reap the benefits of the victory, he made his view known to the president, who still supported his friend. Hill was relieved of command. Davis refused to submit his nomination as lieutenant general to the Senate. Thus he reverted to a major generalcy on October 15, 1863. He volunteered to be on the staff of Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard. While with Beauregard staff, he fought at Drewry's Bluff and Petersburg.
He was in command of a provisional division for a couple of days. On the urgent request of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Beauregard, he was assigned to duty at Charleston, and to the command of a remnant of the Army of Tennessee in its retreat before Major Gen. Philip Sheridan, until Bentonville, where he led his division in its last charge.
For some years after the war, he edited a magazine at Charlotte which was devoted to Southern development and called "The Land We Love." In 1877-80, he was president of the Arkansas Industrial university, and subsequently president of the military and agricultural college of Georgia.
He was brave but abrasive, and could have been used much more effectively for the Confederate cause.
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