Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/273

 HILL

HILL

a member from 1850, and was elected a fellow of the Americau Academy of Arts aud Sciences, and of the American Philosophical society and an honorary member of A-arious other scientific bodies. He contributed to science numerous papers, lectures and addresses, published princi- pally in the annual reports of the coast survey. He died in Washington, D.C., May 8, 1891.

HILL, Adams Sherman, teacher, was born in Boston, Mass., Jan. 30, 1833; son of Sherman Goldsmith and Joanna Catherine Elizabeth (Von Hagen) Hill; grandson of Oliver and Mary (Gold- smitli) Hill and of Peter Albei'tus and Lucj' (Adams) Von Hagen; and a descendant of James Hill, who was born in Leicester, England, in 1702, and came to America between 1715 and 1720. Adams was christened Abijali Adams, but the name was changed in 1838 by act of legislature. He was prepared for college at the Worcester, Mass., high school, and was graduated from Har- vard, A.B. 1853, LL.B. 1855. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1855; engaged in journal- ism, 1856-70; and was appointed Boylston pro- fessor of rhetoric and oratory at Harvard college in 1877. On Sept. 28, 1868, he was married to Caroline Inches Dehon, and their son, Artluu- Dehon, was born June 25, 1869. Professor Hill is the author of: Our English (1888); The Principles of Ehetoric (1888; new ed., 1899); and Founda- tions of Rhetoric (1888; new ed., 1899).

HILL, Ambrose Powell, soldier, was born in Culpeper county, Va., Nov. 9, 1825; son of Maj. Thomas Hill, a merchant, and local politician. He was graduated at the U.S. Military academj- in 181:7 and was as- signed to the artillery service. He was pro- moted 2d lieutenant in the 1st artillery, Aug. 22, 1847; served in Mexico, 1846-47, and in the Seminole war, 1849-50. He was promoted 1st lieuten- ant, Sept. 4, 1851, and captain in November, 18.55, wlien he was made assistant on the coast survey and was stationed at Wash- ington, D.C., 185.5-61. He resigned from the U.S. army, March 1, 1861, and wlien Virginia seceded he was appointed colonel of the 13th Virginia volunteers and sta- tioned at Harper's Ferry, He reached the bat- tlefield of Bull Run during the last hours of the fight. July 21, 1861, and was afterward pro- moted brigadier-general. His spirit and deter- mination at the battle of Williamsburg, May 5.

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1862, where he commanded the first brigade in Longstreet's second division, made him a major- general. His liglit division, formed of Pender's, Field's, Archer's, Anderson's, Gregg's and Branch's brigades, took position on the extreme left of the Confederate line on the Chickahominy, expecting to be reinforced by Jackson's three divisions marching from the valley to join in the attack on Porter's corps occupying the extreme right of the Federal army. The arrival of Jack- son being delayed. Hill forced the battle of Beaver Dam Creek, June 26, driving the Federal outposts back upon Mechanicsville. After a sharp skir- mish the Federals retreated to Beaver Dam Creek, which was fortified, and Ripley and Pender at- tacked the intrenched position about dark and were disastrously repulsed, nearly every field offi- cer being killed or wounded. Porter, however, fell back to Gaines's Mill and New Cold Harbor, and Hill pursued, taking his position on the left of Longstreet. He made the first attack on the Federal centre and left, June 27, 1862, and after two hovirs' fighting was repulsed, and his disor- dered troops re-formed after Longstreet made an attack in force on the enemy's right. The issue of the battle was the breaking of Porter's line, the abandonment of the field by the Federal troops and McClellan's change of base from the Chickahominy to the James. At the battle of Frayser's Farm, or Glendale, June 30, 1862, Hill, in conjunction with Longstreet, made a desperate fight with Sumner's corps and the divisions of McCall, Kearny and Hooker, but receiving no support the object of the attack, — the possession of the Quaker road, — was not gained and Mc- Clellan continued his retreat to Malvern Hill, where he fought the battle of July 1, 1862, sup- ported by the gunboats in the river. On July 27, 1862, General Hill's division was ordered to join Gen. T. J. Jackson at Gordonsville, and on Aug. 9, 1862, he took part in the battle of Slaughter Mountain, where he came to the relief of Jack- son, whose left was beaten and broken. At Manassas and at Chantilly, Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, 1862, his command, known as Hill's light divi- sion, made up of the brigades of Branch, Pender, Thomas, Gregg, Arclier and Field, formed the second division, the left of Jackson's corps. He received the surrender of Gen. Julius White and the Federal forces at Harper's Ferry, Sept. 15, 1862, and reinforced Lee at Sharpsburg. Md., Sept. 17, where he checked the victorious Federal line of Burnside in time to make possible Lee's masterly retreat. His division, composed of the brigades of Brockenbbrough, Gregg, Tiiomas, Lane, Archer and Pender, formed the riglit of Jackson's corps at Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862. He was given the re.serve or third line of battle at Chancellorsville, May 5 and 6, 1863, and in the