Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/336

308 he was apprenticed to a carpenter in Baltimore, but in 1785 he entered the itinerant ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church, was appointed to Salisbury, N. C, and, with the exception of a brief period spent in New England, his life was given to the introduction of Methodism in the southern states. Mr. Hull was one of the most eloquent revivalists of his day. During his latter years he established a high-school in Washington, Ga., and was one of the founders and a strong supporter of the University of Georgia. His last appointment was on the Savannah circuit. — His son, Asbury, legislator, b. in Washington, Ga., 30 Jan., 1797; d. in Athens, 25 Jan., 1866, was graduated at the University of Georgia in 1814, for more than forty years was the secretary and treasurer of its board of trustees, and was often a member of the legis- lature and speaker of the house. He was a mem- ber of the Secession convention of 1861. — Another son, Henry, physician, b. in Washington, Ga., 20 Oct., 1798 ; d. in Athens, Ga., 10 May, 1881, was graduated at the State university in 1815, studied medicine, and rose to distinction in his profession. From 1830 till his resignation in 1846 he was pro- fessor of mathematics in the University of Georgia. The remainder of his life was devoted to scientific and literary studies. — Asbury's son, William Hope, lawyer, b. in Athens, Ga., 2 Feb., 1820 ; d. in New York city, 10 Sept., 1877, was graduated at the University of Georgia in 1838, studied law, and was elected solicitor-general of the western ju- dicial district. He held many offices of public trust, and was assistant U. S. attorney-general in 1857-60. He returned to Georgia in 1861, and resumed the practice of law in Augusta.

HULL, John, goldsmith, b. in Market Hare- borough, Leicestershire, England, 18 Dec, 1624; d. in Boston, Mass., 28 Sept., 1683. His father emi- grated to Boston in 1635. John was appointed mint-master of the Massachusetts colony in 1652, was town-treasurer in 1660-'l, captain of artillery in 1671, deputy to the general court from 1669 till 1673, and treasurer of the colony in 1675-80. His memoirs and diary are published in the collection of the " American Antiquarian Society " (vol. iii.).

HULL, William, soldier, b. in Derby, Conn., 24 June, 1753 ; d. in Newton, Mass., 29 Nov., 1825. His ancestor, Richard Hull, supposed to be a brother of John Hull, of Boston, the mint- master, was made a freeman of Massachusetts in 1634, and removed to New Haven, Conn., in 1639. William was the fifth in descent from Richard. He was the fourth son of Joseph, a farmer, was graduated at Yale, studied law at Litchfield, and was admitted to the bar in 1775. When the news of the battle of Lexington reached Derby, a com- pany of soldiers was raised in that town. William Hull was chosen captain, and joined the army of Washington at Cambridge with his company, which became part of Col. Webb's Connecticut regiment. After the battle of Trenton, Washing- ton promoted him to be major in the 8th Massa- chusetts regiment. He was lieutenant-colonel in 1779, then inspector of the army under Baron Steuben, and commanded the escort of Washing- ton when he bade farewell to the army. He was in the battles of White Plains, Trenton, Prince- ton, Stillwater, Saratoga, Fort Stanwix, Monmouth, and Stony Point, and commanded the expedition against Morrisania, for which he received the thanks of Washington and of congress. He led a column at the capture of Stony Point. Washing- ton, in his letter to Gen. Heath (* Massachusetts Historical Society Collections," 5th series, vol iv.), says : " Major Hull was appointed by me, at the intercession of several officers in the Massachusetts state line. He is an officer of great merit, and whose services have been honorable to himself and profitable to his country. He might have been arranged in the Connecticut line, but many of the Massachusetts officers discovered great uneasiness at the idea of his being taken from them, and he himself generously refused the offer. I mention this as a trait of his character." Col. Hull's ser- vices throughout the war received the approbation of his superior officers. He married the daughter of Abraham Fuller, a distinguished patriot, who lived on the ancestral farm in Newton, which is now the residence of Gov. William Claflin. On this farm Gen. Hull spent the last years of his life. He was major-general of the 3d division of Massa- chusetts militia, and a state senator. He was ap pointed by President Jefferson governor of Michi- gan territory in 1805, and held that office till 1812, when he was appointed to the command of the northwestern army. He at first refused the com- mission, and Col. Kingsbury was appointed in his place, but, as that officer fell sick, Hull at last consented to take the command. War with England seemed imminent, but had not been declared, and the troops were ordered to Detroit to defend the territory, which otherwise, in case of war, would be laid waste by the Indians. While governor of Michigan, Gen. Hull had repeatedly urged upon the government the importance of building a fleet on Lake Erie as the only means of maintaining Detroit, which was 300 miles from any magazines of provisions, munitions of war, or re-enforcements. Gen. Hull had represented to the government that in time of war with Great Britain an army could not be maintained at Detroit without a naval force sufficient to keep up communication by the lake, and that, otherwise, not only Detroit but Mackinaw and Fort Dearborn must fall into the hands of the enemy. He also advised the government that there must be a powerful army at Niagara to co-operate with any forces that should invade Canada from Detroit. These communications were made both before and after he took command of the troops. The only access to Detroit was by small sloops on Lake Erie. Gen. Hull was ordered to march his troops from Urbanna, Ohio, through the wilderness, and in doing this the soldiers were obliged to open a military road, building bridges and causeways for 200 miles. He found his army of 1,500 men destitute of arms, clothing, powder, and blankets, and was obliged to provide them with these necessaries on his own responsibility. Everything had been mismanaged at Washington, and the country was plunged into war without adequate preparation. No fleet had been built on Lake Erie, and even the notice of the declaration of war, instead of being sent by a special messenger to Gen. Hull, was committed to the post-office, and was not received by him until several days after the British at Maiden had heard of it by a despatch from Washington, and had in consequence captured a vessel in which Hull sent his stores to Detroit. Gen. Dearborn, who was to have invaded Canada from Niagara, instead of doing this, made an armistice with the British commander, in which Gen. Hull was not included, and was thus exposed to attack by all the British troops in Canada. This event took place, and Gen. Brock, having command of the lake, went to Detroit with all the troops he could collect. Meantime Gen. Hull's position had become very precarious. As he had predicted, Mackinaw and Fort Dearborn had both fallen, and the Indians of the northwest were concentrating in the wilder-