Eppa Hunton II (September 24, 1822October 11, 1908) was a Virginia lawyer and soldier who rose to become a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he served as a Democrat in both the United States House of Representatives and then the United States Senate from Virginia.
Early years Hunton was born on September 24, 1822A Biographical Congressional Directory near Warrenton, Virginia, to Eppa Hunton I (1789–1830) and the former Elizabeth Marye Brent (1789–1866), who had married on June 22, 1811, in Fauquier County. He was their third son, after the twins John Heath Hunton and George William Hunton, who were born in 1826. Both families had emigrated from England in the 17th century. The Brent family had moved across the Potomac River from Maryland before Bacon's Rebellion and by the time of the Revolutionary War were important planters and lawyers in Stafford County, Virginia and western area's of the Northern Neck proprietary (and the only prominent somewhat Catholic family in Virginia, with Robert Brent becoming the first mayor of the District of Columbia). The Huntons had initially settled in Lancaster County, Virginia before moving to what became eastern Fauquier County, Virginia near its border with Prince William County, Virginia (now the Buckland Historic District).John Browne, Helping Build America: The Love Family of Buckland, Virginia ISBN 9798351778792 pp. 97-98 His man's father taught school and operated three plantations: "Springfield" and "Mount Hope" in Fauquier County (whose seat was Warrenton, though the plantations were near New Baltimore, which became the family graveyard) and another in nearby Prince William County. The senior Eppa Hunton had fought in the War of 1812 under his cousin Thomas Hunton, who led a Fauquier County cavalry troop of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Regiment before rising to the rank of Brigadier General of that brigade in 1819, as well as winning election to the Virginia House of Delegates 1803-1808 and 1813-1814, but who died in 1826.Browne, pp. 98-99 The elder Eppa Hunton appeared likely to have a similar career, becoming the brigade inspector and twice won election to the Virginia House of Delegates, but died unexpectedly young in Lancaster in 1830. This left his widow to raise nine young children (two others having died as infants), and the Prince William plantation was sold to pay debts. His mother's father, William Brent, was a lawyer who had fought in the American Revolutionary War, and had moved his family from the port of Dumfries in Prince William County to Bealeton in Fauquier County for safekeeping during that war. The Prince William county seat, Brentsville (near the county's center), was named for that family. This Eppa Hunton was educated at the private New Baltimore Academy by Rev. John Ogilvie, although family circumstances forced him to borrow money to finish his final year in 1839.Autobiography pp. 3-5
Early career After graduating from that school, this Eppa Hunton taught for three years, first in a log schoolhouse near The Plains in Fauquier County. Then he opened his own school in Buckland in Prince William County, where he lived with his brother Silas and his wife. Hunton taught the five sons of John Webb Tyler, who in turn helped him to study law and become admitted to the Virginia bar in 1843. Hunton thus began his legal practice in Brentsville, the Prince William County seat. He also became prominent in the local community, winning election as colonel, and later brigadier general, in the Virginia militia.
After Virginia's legislature elected J.W. Tyler as circuit judge, Hunton was elected his successor as Commonwealth's attorney (local prosecutor) in 1848. Voters re-elected him twice, so he served from 1849–1861.Autobiography pp. 6-7 In 1850, this Eppa Hunton, at age 30, owned six slaves: a 30-year-old black woman and five children (a 14-year-old mulatto girl, five- and ten-year-old black boys, and three-year-old and five-month-old black girls).1850 U.S. Federal Census for Prince William County, Virginia, slave schedule, available at ancestry.com Hunton later described himself as a Democrat from his "earliest youth" like his father, and he was one of Virginia's delegates to the Democratic National Convention in 1856, and was a Breckenridge elector in 1860, later describing the multiple conventions that year that divided the Democratic party.Autobiography pp. 9-10
Family life In 1848, Eppa Hunton married Lucy Caroline Weir (February 20, 1825 – September 4, 1899), daughter of Robert and Clara Boothe Weir. Her family could trace their ancestry to Judge Benjamin Waller of Williamsburg, and her father had been a successful merchant in Tappahannock before moving to Prince William County and running a plantation called "Hartford" until he died in 1840, leaving his widow with young children. During the April after Lucy's marriage to Eppa Hunton, Mrs. Weir sold "Hartford" and moved with her daughters Betty and Martha to the new home Hunton had purchased in Brentsville. There she lived with the young family until Union soldiers destroyed the home in 1862. Mrs. Weir would continue to live with the Huntons until her death in Warrenville in 1870, and Martha until her death in 1882, although Betty would move in with relatives in Clarke County after Lucy's death.Autobiography pp. 7-8
The Huntons had two children:
Elizabeth Boothe Hunton (June 20, 1853 – September 30, 1854) Eppa Hunton III (commonly known as "Eppa Hunton Jr.;" April 14, 1855 – March 5, 1932), who became his father's law partner, and went on to co-found the notable Richmond law firm Hunton & Williams in 1901. Considerably after the Civil War described below, Hunton's brother James died, and Eppa Hunton provided for his children, especially Bessie Marye Hunton (named after their mother), paying for her education and ultimately blessing her marriage.
Civil War
In February 1861, Prince William County voters elected Hunton, an avowed secessionist, as their delegate to the Virginia Secession Convention, as he handily defeated a Unionist candidate, Allen Howison.Autobiography p. 11 At the Convention Hunton made many contacts which proved important later in his career, from former U.S. President John Tyler, to Governor John Letcher, Lt. Gov. Montague, and former Navy Secretary Ballard Preston.
With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Hunton relinquished his militia commission and secured a commission as colonel of the 8th Virginia Infantry, Confederate States Army, composed of seven companies from Loudoun County, two from Fauquier County and one each from Fairfax County and Prince William County. Initially, Charles B. Tebbs was his lieutenant colonel and Norborne Berkeley as the regimental major.Autobiography p. 235 (App. I) The regiment (then of eight companies) was assigned to guard the Potomac River in Loudoun County, along with the Loudoun Cavalry and a Loudoun artillery regiment. During the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard cited its gallantry coming off reserve status in his summary of the Confederate victory. It was then again assigned to protect Leesburg, Virginia, the seat of Loudoun County and an important crossroads for trade across the Potomac River as well as across the Blue Ridge Mountains. Although General Beauregard refused to let Col. Hunton take leave to visit his sick wife five miles from that battlefield, Hunton received several leaves from duty during the war due to a fistula which failed to heal, despite various surgeries, until he became a prisoner of war during the war's final days.Autobiography pp. 42, 46 In October his regiment was part of Nathan G. Evans' brigade near Leesburg, where the temporarily recovered Hunton led his command against a Union force at Ball's Bluff, driving it into the Potomac River. Captains William N. Berkeley and Edmond Berkeley were also cited for their enthusiasm, and for his initiative in capturing about 325 Union prisoners local farmer E.V. White (a/k/a Lige White) would soon be promoted to captain (and ultimately to colonel).Autobiography pp. 46–59, 242 (App. I)
In 1862 the regiment left the Centreville area to oppose the Union's Peninsular Campaign. With the confederate evacuation of Northern Virginia Huntons hometown got under union occupation and he had to evacuate his family through Charlottesville to Lynchburg. Despite still suffering from fistula Hunton returned from sick leave to command his regiment from the withdrawal under Yorktown to defend Richmond. Hunton missed both the Battle of Williamsburg and the Battle of Seven Pines due to sickness. Anticipating the Seven Days Battles he disregarded his physician's advise and returned to the army to fight at the Battle of Frazier's Farm and Battle of Gaines' Mill (which Hunton later cited as the unit's most gallant charge).Autobiography pp. 64–74 On August 21, 1862, the regiment fought at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Hunton's regiment then crossed the Potomac River and as he again returned to duty fought at the South Mountain and the bloody Antietam.Autobiography pp. 75–82 After retreating to Virginia, it returned to fight on December 13 at the Battle of Fredericksburg and again the following month, under the command of General Richard B. Garnett, although it would miss the Battle of Chancellorville because it was assigned to secure supplies in North Carolina.Autobiography pp. 83–85
Promoted to brigade command late because of his ongoing health issues, Hunton was assigned to Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's corps, Maj. Gen. George Pickett's division, and the Army of Northern Virginia. In August 1863, Hunton formally received a promotion to brigadier general, based on his valor during the Battle of Gettysburg, particularly during Pickett's Charge in which Hunton received a leg wound. Because of his promotion, Norborne Berkeley was promoted to command the 8th Virginia, and his brother Edmund became the Lieut. Colonel, his brother William Berkeley, Major, and Charles Berkeley became the senior Captain of what then became known as the "Berkeley Regiment." After service in the defenses of Richmond in 1864 including the Battle of Malvern Hill, Gen. Hunton rejoined Pickett's division and fought at Cold Harbor and once again defended Richmond and Petersburg siege lines. In March 1865 his command (by then reduced to 1500 men) fought a delaying action at Five Forks, which turned into a rout.