the note outlined Lee’s dispositions, strength,
and strategic intentions. Hill vehemently de-
nied any role in the mishap, but the bitterness
with which he pursued vindication did nothing
to cultivate better relations with Lee. Chronic
back pain may have contributed to his acerbic
disposition, along with the inevitable com-
plaining, or “croaking,” that he seemed always
ready to indulge in.
Despite these missteps, Lee recognized Hill
as an outstanding combat commander. On
September 13, 1862, with only 5,000 men, he
delayed the advance of Gen. George B. Mc-
Clellan’s 80,000 men at South Mountain for
four hours. This stand enabled Lee to concen-
trate his scattered forces behind Antietam
Creek. On September 17 he was also conspic-
uously engaged at the bloody Battle of An-
tietam, holding his position at the famous
Sunken Road against superior numbers. How-
ever, when Lee reorganized the Army of
Northern Virginia the following October, he
chose not to recommend Hill for promotion
to lieutenant general. Ill and feeling unappre-
ciated, he threatened to resign his commis-
sion outright but was dissuaded by Stonewall
Jackson to remain. By February 1863, Hill
was back commanding the defenses of North
Carolina, but Lee summoned him to Virginia
during the Gettysburg campaign. Hill became
entrusted with the defenses of Richmond, the
Confederate capital, and he easily threw back
a major Union attack. His good performance
did not go unnoticed by Confederate Presi-
dent Jefferson Davis, who nominated him to
lieutenant general and transferred him to the
western theater as a corps commander.
As part of the Army of Tennessee, Hill be-
came subordinated to Gen. Braxton Bragg,
an officer equally renowned for his bad dispo-
sition. On September 19, 1863, Hill fought
conspicuously in the bloody Confederate vic-
tory at Chickamauga, contributing to the suc-
cess of Southern arms. However, as always,
Hill was impolitic in criticizing his superior’s
leadership. Furthermore, he joined several
other generals in a petition to have Bragg re-
moved as commander. Bragg was infuriated
by Hill’s insubordination, and he pleaded with
his good friend, President Davis, to have him
removed. In the end both men were reas-
signed, with Bragg becoming Davis’s military
adviser and Hill stranded without a command.
Worse, a vindictive Davis deliberately with-
held Hill’s nomination as lieutenant general to
the Confederate Congress for approval. For
nearly a year, Hill served as a voluntary aide
to Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard at Petersburg,
Virginia. In the spring of 1865 he was finally
granted command of a division in Johnston’s
army and fought valiantly at the Battle of Ben-
tonville, North Carolina (March 19–21). He
surrendered with Johnston at Durham Station
the following April.
Hill returned to Charlotte after the war and
resumed his teaching activities. However, he
became well known throughout the South as
the editor of a monthly magazine, The Land
We Love,and a weekly newspaper, Southern
Home,which strove to vindicate the Confed-
erate cause. Hill also remained one of few
Confederate commanders willing to criticize
Lee, now enshrined as a sectional hero, for
his wartime leadership. In 1877, he moved to
Fayetteville, Arkansas, to serve as president
of the Arkansas Industrial University (now
the University of Arkansas). Fighting poor
health, he transferred to the Middle Georgia
Military and Agricultural College (present-day
Milledgeville College) to serve as president in- He was regarded as an excellent instruc-
tor and administrator; he was also active in
Confederate veterans’ affairs by composing
many essays on Civil War history—usually de-
fending his own actions. By the time Hill died
at Charlotte on September 24, 1889, he was
regarded as one of the South’s foremost edu-
cators. He was also one of the best divisional
commanders of the Confederacy, a talented
leader whose advancement was compro-
mised by tactless demeanor.
See also
Bragg, Braxton; Davis, Jefferson; Jackson, Thomas J.
“Stonewall”; Johnston, Joseph E.; Lee, Robert E.HILL, DANIELHARVEY