Reverend John Hurt (1752 – 1824) was an American Episcopal minister and army chaplain from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He was the first official United States Army Chaplain. He served as a Minister at Valley Forge.1 The Army Chaplaincy: Professional Bulletin of the Unit Ministry Team, Department of the Army (1995), p. 32
Personal and family life Little is known about Hurt's early life. Many of the records of his birth, early education and marriages were destroyed by Union soldiers near the conclusion of the American Civil War.2 The patriot preachers of the American Revolution, With biographical sketches. 1776-1783, Frank Moore (1860), p. 135 Some genealogical records place his birth as early as 1738 (six years after George Washington's). However, most historical accounts and genealogical records put it in 17523 Families of Halifax County, Virginia, M. Secris, p. 113 (three years before Alexander Hamilton's). This confusion is mostly from the Hurt family's reuse of given names over several generations. Some sources list James Hurt and Jane Bickley as parents, while others claim that Jane Bickley died prior to Hurt's birth and instead list Benjamin Hurt and Anne Newman as parents.
What is known about Hurt's early life is that he came from a long line of devout anglicans. Two of his relatives (probably his uncles), Philemon and William Hurt, were also Anglican ministers before the American War of Independence. After the Continental Army's victory, Anglicans in the United States restructured the church. It was renamed the Episcopal church,4 A Brief History of the Episcopal Church, David L. Holmes (1993) due to broken ties with England and, by association, the Church of England. Hurt was ordained as a minister in Trinity Parish on December 21, 1774.
After his extensive military service in the revolution as a chaplain, he married Nellie McTaggart of Virginia in 1785. The exact date is disputed. They had two daughters, Martha Patsy and Sarah Elizabeth Hurt. After his wife's death, he married Sallie Franklin. The date of the marriage is disputed, between 1788 and 1796. They had two sons, James and Samuel Jones Hurt.5 North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 for Sallie Franklin Much like the accounts of his early life, the historical and genealogical records often conflict on the dates and even years of his marriages and births of his children.
Even the exact time of his death is unclear, but most sources agree he died sometime in 1824 in Prince Edward County, Virginia. In all historical accounts of his chaplaincy, it is made clear that little is known about and few records remain of his personal life, and that it is likely to remain a mystery.
Military service He began his service in the continental army on October 1, 1776. His experience as a minister qualified him to serve as chaplain to the Virginia 6th Infantry Regiment. George Washington desired that every regiment of continental soldiers be assigned a chaplain, but the continental congress at the time due to financial concerns did not authorize the commission of more chaplains. As a result, John Hurt became chaplain to the 4th and 5th Virginia infantry regiments as well. These units were later consolidated on August 18, 1778, into a brigade commanded by General George Weedon. Hurt would become this brigades chaplain and remain so until the end of his service in 1783.6 American Army Chaplaincy: A Brief History, United States. Army Service Forces Office of the Chief of Chaplains (1946)7 The patriot preachers of the American Revolution, With biographical sketches. 1776-1783, Frank Moore (1860)
As an episcopal minister, his method of preaching stood in contrast to ministers of other denominations. One source cites the difference this way, "While the sermons of presbyterians, congregational and baptist chaplains were clearly outlined giving an exegetical giving the context of the verse used, its theological ramifications, and finally, its immediate application in practicalities of the existential situation, sermons extant from Anglican chaplain border more on the style of highly refined homilies, but lacking contextual explanations."9 As a soldier he has been described as "the bravest of the brave".9 Families of Halifax County, Virginia, M. Secrist, p.114
He served alongside his fellow Virginia soldiers in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine Creek, Germantown, the encampment at Valley Forge, the Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of Charleston. During the Virginia campaign Hurt was used as an intelligence officer for General Baron Von Steuben. He was captured in January 1781 a few months before the battle of Blandford.
Capture In 1780 General George Washington had agreed with British commander Sir Henry Clinton that all men of both sides that were designated as chaplains were not to be detained as prisoners of war, but were to be immediately released. Despite this, after Hurt's capture in Northern Virginia, he spent several months detained in a British prison barge off the Atlantic coast. The exact duration and location of his imprisonment are unknown. He was later paroled, as was custom, to the city of Norfolk and later the state of Virginia. However, he was still dissatisfied with the conditions of his parole. There is still extant a letter he wrote in September 1781 directly to Washington requesting his help in canceling his parole, exchanging him for a British chaplain and returning him to active duty. A portion of the letter reads,
"By endeavoring to gain intelligence for the Baron de Steuben last January, I was made a prisoner by a party of Simpcoe's Corps. After suffering the most ignominious treatment at different times onboard different prison Ships about a month ago I had my parole extended from the Town of Norfolk to the State of Virginia there to remain till exchanged or my parole altered. By the information I have had from Col. Tilman with respect to the British Chaplains, I humbly conceive that it is in your Excellency's power to have my parole of honor officially canceled which would add very much to my happiness I conclude also from the above information that I have been unjustly detained and improperly paroled."
General Washington, unfortunately, was unable to help. Washington wrote a response that is housed in the Library of Congress explaining his inability to exchange him but expressed his confusion that he was not being released due to his status as a chaplain.10 The US Army Chaplaincy - From European Antecedents to 1791, Parker C. Thompson, Office of the Chief of US Army Chaplain Corp (1978), p. 206
Peacetime Despite his capture, Hurt witnessed some of the most iconic events of the American Revolution. After his seven years of service and the end of the fighting, Hurt returned to his parish in Virginia and ministered to the people there. Records of his peacetime sermons describe Hurt's orations to be particularly eloquent, "theologically sensitive and homiletically alert, he was a good pastor and able preacher. Several of his sermons were printed and circulated by some of his parishioners who were tremendously impressed by the content and structure of the discourse. Each manuscript contained the hallmark of an artisan."11 The Army Chaplaincy: Professional Bulletin of the Unit Ministry Team, Department of the Army (1995), p. 33
For his service in the revolution, he was awarded 5,000 acres of land in western Virginia in what is today Cumberland County, Kentucky. However, it is believed that he deeded most of this property to his younger relatives soon after acquiring it.12 The Army Chaplaincy: Professional Bulletin of the Unit Ministry Team, Department of the Army (1995), p. 33
US Army chaplain After the end of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army was dissolved. Forming a peacetime government was the primary focus of American political leadership. Uprisings such as Shays' Rebellion and attacks on frontier outposts raised concerns among those of the new federal government in 1791. After a massive defeat given by the Miami Tribe congress was hard-pressed to increase the number of soldiers in its regular army. Accordingly, on March 3, 1791, an act of Congress permitted the formation of a new regiment of infantry in the regular army. The new regiment brought the total number of regiments in the regular US Army to two. The act called for a brigadier general, a quartermaster, and a chaplain to be commissioned.13 The Public Statutes at Large form the from the Organization of the Government in 1789 to March 3, 1845, Library of Congress, p, 222
https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/1st-congress/c1.pdf
After receiving authorization from the Senate, George Washington sent a letter to Congress nominating Arthur St. Claire as Brigadier General, Samuel Hodgdon as quartermaster, and John Hurt as the chaplain. These men were instated into their respective positions on March 4, 1791.
As Chaplain of the Army Hurt was to be paid $600 a year, above average for the time.
Hurt was most likely ill and not present during the first major conflict that his men participated in. General St. Claire, who was also the acting Governor of the Northwest Territory, led the defense of the frontier. On September 4, 1791, St. Claire's forces encountered Native forces led by Blue Jacket and Little Turtle. The American force was devastated. Their casualties numbered 657 dead and 271 wounded. This defeat was the worst ever suffered at the hands of Native Americans, dwarfing the American casualties during "Custer's Last Stand".14 The Army Chaplaincy: Professional Bulletin of the Unit Ministry Team, Department of the Army (1995), p. 36
This defeat prompted congress to further enlarge the army to three regiments. Hurt, however, would remain the army's only chaplain. After the increase in the army's size a new commander was appointed, General Anthony "Mad Anthony" Wayne. John Hurt resigned from his post on September 20, 1794. He was succeeded by Pennsylvania Baptist minister David Jones, who would serve for another six years. It would be Jones, not Hurt that would serve during the army's next major engagement. "Mad Anthony" led a force that defeated Native forces in Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794. Unfortunately, any records of John Hurt's service during the engagements prior to his resignation were most likely destroyed when the British invaded Washington D.C. during the War of 1812. This stands in contrast to Jones who, unlike hurt, was an avid diarist.15 The Army Chaplaincy: Professional Bulletin of the Unit Ministry Team, Department of the Army (1995), p. 37
Historical connections John Hurt has a few remaining historical connections to key American political figures during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Besides his letters to George Washington during the war, in peacetime, he wrote to both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison on personal matters. These matters, for the most part, involved horses. It is clear from his letter that horses were a passion of Hurt's. One of his letters to James Madison revolved mainly around the recommendation of a horse he thought Madison should buy.16 Letter from John Hurt to James Madison, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress
https://www.loc.gov/resource/mjm.05_0968_0969/?sp=1
Legacy Hurt only served for three years as chaplain of the Army. He was succeeded by David Jones, a baptist from Pennsylvania. After the end of Jones' tenure as chaplain of the Army, the post was eliminated. Chaplaincy in the expanding United States Army would be organized in various forms over the rest of the 19th century. Finally, with the National Defense Act of 1920 the Army Chaplain Corp was formally organized into its current form. Although the structure is presently different from the time of John Hurt, his role as the first chaplain of the army has set a precedent of including clergy as an essential part of the United States military efforts.