Charles Adams Hunter (August 26, 1843 – December 31, 1912) was a soldier in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

who received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for valor in action.

Biography

Hunter was born in

Spencer, Massachusetts Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,992 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer (CDP), Massach ...

on 26 August 1843. He joined the Army in June 1862, and first saw action at the

Battle of Charlestown The Battle of Charlestown was a small engagement between Confederate cavalry forces under Brig. Gen. John D. Imboden and the Union forces under Col. Benjamin L. Simpson on October 18, 1863, at Charles Town, West Virginia, as part of the Brist ...

. He was promoted to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

in November 1863, and would serve as a

color guard In Military, military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of Colours, standards and guidons, regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is so prestigious that the militar ...

color bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a Standard (flag), standard or Military colours, standards and guidons, military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible b ...

for his

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

in every battle in which they served. Hunter subsequently saw extensive action in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

, fighting at the Battles of

New Market New Market may refer to: Bangladesh *New Market, Dhaka *New Market, Khulna, in Sonadanga Model Thana *New Market, Chittagong, near Government City College, Chittagong India * New Market, Bhopal *New Market, Kolkata Jamaica *New Market, Jama ...

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, Lynchburg, Snicker's Ford, Second Kernstown and Martinsburg, Halltown, Berryville, Third Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Stickney's Farm, and Cedar Creek. With the conclusion of Sheridan's Valley campaign, the 34th Massachusetts Infantry moved to the

Petersburg Petersburg, or Petersburgh, may refer to: Places Australia *Petersburg, former name of Peterborough, South Australia Canada * Petersburg, Ontario Russia *Saint Petersburg, sometimes referred to as Petersburg United States *Peterborg, U.S. Virg ...

theater of war. During the final assault on Petersburg on April 2, 1865, Hunter was among the first of his company to enter

Fort Gregg Fort Gregg was a Confederate States of America, Confederate fort located near Petersburg, Virginia. The battle for Fort Gregg occurred on April 2, 1865, as part of the Third Battle of Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Dinwiddie County nea ...

in the defensive works, bearing the company's colors, an act for which he received the

. He was also promoted to

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

at the end of the month. Hunter's medal was presented to him on June 13, 1865 by the wife of his commander, General

John Gibbon John Gibbon (April 20, 1827 – February 6, 1896) was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Early life Gibbon was born in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the fourt ...

, and he mustered out with his regiment three days later. Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War
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Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company E, 34th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., April 2, 1865. Entered service at: Spencer, Mass. Birth: Spencer, Mass. Date of issue: May 12, 1865. Citation:

In the assault on
Fort Gregg Fort Gregg was a Confederate States of America, Confederate fort located near Petersburg, Virginia. The battle for Fort Gregg occurred on April 2, 1865, as part of the Third Battle of Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Dinwiddie County nea ...
, bore the regimental flag bravely and was among the foremost to enter the work.

References

;Notes ;Sources *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Charles Adams 1843 births 1912 deaths People from Spencer, Massachusetts United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links