Pennock Huey (March 1, 1828 – September 28, 1903) was an

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

and cavalry

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

commander in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during 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 ...

Biography

Huey was the son of Jacob Huey, a farmer in

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the Delaware Valley region of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53 ...

known locally as "The Squire of Kennett Square". He pursued a career as a merchant before war broke out in 1861. In September 1861, he became captain of Company D of the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry (89th Pennsylvania Volunteers), serving under the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

David McMurtrie Gregg David McMurtrie Gregg (April 10, 1833 – August 7, 1916) was an American farmer, diplomat, and a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War. Early life and career Gregg was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He was the first cousin of fut ...

. Huey was promoted to major in January 1862. When Gregg became a brigade commander, Huey took command of the regiment and subsequently led it at the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

, serving in the brigade of

Thomas Devin Thomas Casimer Devin (December 10, 1822 – April 4, 1878) was a United States Army officer and general. He commanded Union cavalry during the American Civil War and during the Indian Wars. Early life Born in New York City to Irish immigra ...

. The brigade, including the 8th Pennsylvania, remained with the main body of the army, missing the futile raid

George Stoneman George Stoneman Jr. (August 8, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a United States Army cavalry officer and politician who served as the fifteenth Governor of California from 1883 to 1887. He was trained at West Point, where his roommate was Stonewall ...

led into south central

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Huey's command became involved in a collision with

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

, from which it was only possible to extricate his troops by giving the order to; "Draw sabre and charge." This encounter on a back road, which cost the regiment substantial losses, later was magnified into a full-scale charge for which Cavalry commander Alfred Pleasonton took credit, claiming he had explicitly ordered Major Peter Keenan to go head to head with Jackson's troops. The charge, during which Keenan was killed, was completely inadvertent; the only way to extricate a column of cavalry from a narrow road thick with Confederate infantry. Later on the evening of the charge, "Stonewall" Jackson, while out scouting the area for the presence of Union troops, was inadvertently shot by South Carolina troops having mistaken him and his party for Union soldiers. After his failed raid, Stoneman was removed from command of the Cavalry Corps in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

, being succeeded by Pleasonton. When the corps was reorganized later that month, Gregg took command of the new second division, mostly composed of his old division, the third. This new organization included the 8th Pennsylvania. Huey, meanwhile, had been promoted to colonel of the regiment on June 25, 1863. Huey took command of a brigade under Gregg in time for the Gettysburg Campaign. He was on detached duty during the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

protecting supply trains in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, but he participated in the pursuit of the Confederate army. The brigade served under

Hugh Judson Kilpatrick Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (January 14, 1836 – December 4, 1881) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of brevet major general. He was later the United States Minister to Chile and an unsuccessful cand ...

, not Gregg, during the pursuit. Huey returned to regimental command for most of the remainder of 1863. He led his regiment under

Philip Sheridan General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...

in the opening campaigns of 1864. Huey commanded Gregg's rear guard during part of the retreat from Trevilian Station. He was captured at the

Battle of Saint Mary's Church The Battle of Saint Mary's Church (also called Samaria Church in the South, or Nance's Shop) was an American Civil War cavalry battle fought on June 24, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate G ...

, June 24, 1864. Paroled on December 9, 1864 at Camp Asylum,

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

, after imprisonment in that state, Huey resumed his command. He was made a brevet brigadier general in March 1865 and was mustered out with his regiment at Richmond, Virginia, on August 11, 1865. After the war, Huey married Elizabeth Waln Wistar, daughter of Joseph Wistar of Philadelphia, worked as a merchant and in the canal industry. He wrote his account of the charge at Chancellorsville to reclaim the credit he thought his due, contradicting Pleasonton's account of the action. Huey died on his farm at the age of 75 and was buried in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. "Chapelcroft" Home of General Pennock Huey stood on the east side of Bustleton Ave between Murray and Fulmer Streets. ca 1892. Photo from "The York Road Old and New by Rev S F Hotchkin". The Chapelcroft Apts sit on the site today. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1407743312572774&set=gm.10154321012694662&type=3

References

* Pennock Huey, ''A True History of the Charge of the Eighth Pennsylvania Cavalry at Chancellorsville'', Second edition with Addenda. Philadelphia, 1885. * Edward G. Longacre, ''The Cavalry at Gettysburg : a Tactical study of Mounted Operations during the Civil War's Pivotal Campaign, June 9,-July 14, 1863'', Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 1993. * Edward G. Longacre, ''Lincoln's Cavalrymen: a History of the Mounted Forces of The Army of the Potomac, 1861-1865'', Mechanicsburg, PA: White Mane, 2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Huey, Pennock Union Army colonels People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War American Civil War prisoners of war 1828 births 1903 deaths