David Hunter

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History & Society

David Hunter

United States military officer

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 14, 2024 • Article History

David Hunter

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Category: History & Society

Born:: July 21, 1802, Washington, D.C., U.S.

Died:: Feb. 2, 1886, Washington, D.C. (aged 83)

Role In:: American Civil War

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David Hunter (born July 21, 1802, Washington, D.C., U.S.—died Feb. 2, 1886, Washington, D.C.) was a Union officer during the American Civil War who issued an emancipation proclamation (May 9, 1862) that was annulled by President Abraham Lincoln (May 19). Hunter graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1822 and served in the Mexican War (1846–48). In 1862, while in command of Federal troops along the South Atlantic coast, he proclaimed the freedom of slaves in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina; Lincoln, determined to maintain his executive prerogatives, revoked the order. In South Carolina General Hunter ...(100 of 154 words)

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