Pre-War:

James A. Hunt was born on July 23rd 1843 in Granville, North Carolina, and died on July 2nd 1862 in Richmond, Virginia. [1] His family never moved while James A. Hunt was alive. He was the second oldest of eight other siblings, four of them being his sisters, and the other four being his brothers. His sisters Sallie Frances Hunt, Susan Caroline Hunt, Celestia A. Hunt, and Mary Ella Hunt, do not have any records of an occupation, spouse, or family of their own.[2] James A. Hunt’s brother David Nicholson Hunt however, became a farmer and married Adelaide (Addie) Caison Hester when he was 24 years old, and ended up having 9 children in 17 years. [3] The youngest brother of James A. Hunt, Joseph “Little Josie” Hunt, was born on September 6, 1862, and died on September 6, 1862 due to an unknown cause.[4]

Military Activity:

1861 James A. Hunt enlisted in Company G to the Granville Rangers, as a member of the Thirtieth Infantry of North Carolina at the age of 17 in Granville County. [5] He was enrolled by R.P. Taylor for the period of 12 months and started on September 7th 1861 at the rank of private; but by the time he finished the service, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal.[6] According to the company muster roll, he could have been promoted to Corporal from any time during the dates of September 9th to October 31st.[7] There are no written records of James A. Hunt writing to friends or family members during his time in combat, but it was documented that on May 23rd, 1862, he was admitted to the C.S.A. General Military Hospital, No. 4 at Wilmington, North Carolina, due to a disease known as enteritis.[8] It causes inflammation of the small intestine, usually accompanied by diarrhea. He returned to duty on May 29th, 1862 but was later admitted to the Chimborazo Hospital No. 1, at Richmond, Virginia on July 1st due to a disease from one of his legs being amputated, and ended up dying two days later[9]. However, his death was not published in the local newspapers until January of 1863, which was seen from a letter written by his father to Captain Clarence Morfit who was the Assistant Quartermaster at the time, in regard to the death of his son. [10] His father writes that he saw his son’s name listed in the Raleigh Papers describing the actual date and cause of his death, and wishes to know how to obtain the belongings of his son and other personal possessions if any. [11] James A. Hunt was later buried at the Salem Methodist Church Cemetery in Huntsboro, Granville County, North Carolina on in unknown date.[12]

Thirtieth Infantry of North Carolina Participation in the Civil War:

The infantry organized at Camp Mangum in October 1861, assigned under multiple Generals and prestigious military leaders throughout the duration of the war.[13] Under the direction of Cox’s Brigade, the regiment was so involved in the battle of Chancellorsville, half of the men were killed or wounded.[14] In total, it caused 125 casualties.[15] Other notable war activity during the Civil War that the regiment was involved in includes the Battle of Seven Pines, and the Battle of Cold Harbor. The Battle of Seven Pines was an important victory for the Confederate Army, where they were able to reach the outskirts of Richmond and inflict heavy casualties through uncoordinated but effective attacks.[16] Overall, it caused fear and concern among the Union as the Confederates were able to break through the lines of the Union, allowing them to push further north. The Battle of Cold Harbor was another important and significant battle during the Civil War, as the Confederate Army was able to execute a mass assault on the Union army at 4:30am, making for a total of 7,000 wounded or killed within the first thirty minutes of the assault, which continued throughout the morning.[17] By 12:30pm, Grant suspended his attacks, which eventually led to a two-hour truce allowing for the Federals to retrieve their wounded.[18] Some war casualties that the regiment faced included 30 killed and 137 wounded during the Seven Days’ Battles, a loss of thirty-six percent of the 250 sent to the Maryland Campaign, and lost sixteen percent of the 278 at Gettysburg.[19]

[1] Ancestry.com. "1850 United States Federal Census." Ancestry. 2009. Accessed June 07, 2017.https://www.ancestryclassroom.com/familytree/person/tree/13807641/person/28124629521/facts.

[2] Ancestory.com. "1860 United States Federal Census." Ancestry. 2009. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.ancestryclassroom.com/family-tree/person/tree/13807641/person/28124629521/facts.

[3] Ancestory.com, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "1880 United States Federal Census." Ancestry. 2010. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.ancestryclassroom.com/family-tree/person/tree/13807641/person/28120175935/facts.

[4] Ancestory.com “1860 United States Federal Census.”

[5] Fold3. "James A Hunt: Person, Pictures and Information." Fold3. October 29, 2013. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.fold3.com/page/637478653jamesa_hunt/.

[6] American Civil War Research Database. "American Civil War Research Database." American Civil War Research Database. 1997. Accessed June 07, 2017. http://www.civilwardata.com/.

[7] Scott, W.H. "James A. Hunt Military Papers Pages 1." Fold3. October 29, 2013. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.fold3.com/page/637478653jamesa_hunt/photos/47889785/.

[8] Ibid., 11.

[9] Ibid, 9.

[10] Ibid., 13

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ancestry.com. "Web: North Carolina, Find A Grave Index, 1729-2011." Ancestry. January 19, 2012. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.ancestryclassroom.com/family-tree/person/tree/13807641/person/28124629521/facts.

[13] Siniard, Diane. "Regiment Formation and History." Regiment Formation and History. 2005. Accessed June 07, 2017. http://nccivilwar.lostsoulsgenealogy.com/rosters/regimentformation.htm.

[14] Williams , Max R,. "Cox, William Ruffin." NCpedia. 1979. Accessed June 07, 2017. http://www.ncpedia.org/biography/cox-william-ruffin.

[15] Siniard, Diane. "Regiment Formation and History."

[16] Civil War Trust. "Seven Pines." Civil War Trust. 2017. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.civilwar.org/learn/civil-war/battles/seven-pines.

[17] Civil War Trust. "Battle of Cold Harbor." Civil War Trust. 2017. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.civilwar.org/learn/articles/cold-harbor

[18] Civil War Trust. "Battle of Cold Harbor."

[19] Siniard, Diane. "Regiment Formation and History."