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Civil War Soldiers - Hawley
| Hawley, Joseph R., brigadier-general,
U.S. Army, was born in Stewartsville, N. C., Oct. 31, 1826. His
parents removed to Connecticut while he was very young. He was
graduated at Hamilton college with the degree of A. B. in 1847,
studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1850, immediately entered
political life as a Free Soil Democrat, and on Feb. 4, 1856, called
the first meeting in Connecticut for the organization of the
Republican party, which meeting was held in his law office. In that
same year he spent three months canvassing the state for Fremont and
Dayton, and in 1857 he gave up law for journalism and edited the
Hartford "Evening Press," having previously edited the "Charter Oak,"
which was merged with the "Press." At the outbreak of the Civil war he
helped recruit the first company in the 1st Conn. volunteers, was
commissioned its 1st lieutenant, and commanded the company at the
battle of Bull Run. After the first three months' service he helped
recruit the 7th Conn. volunteers, of which he became
lieutenant-colonel, and went south with his regiment with the Port
Royal expedition, the regiment engaging in the four months' siege of
Fort Pulaski and garrisoning the place after its surrender. Having
succeeded Col. Alfred H. Terry to the command of the regiment, Col.
Hawley led it in the battles of James island and Pocotaligo, and in
the Florida expedition, and subsequently commanded the port of
Fernandina, Jan., 1863, and made an unsuccessful attempt to capture
Charleston. He commanded a brigade on Morris island in the siege of
Charleston and at the capture of Fort Wagner, and in Feb., 1864,
commanded his brigade in the division of Gen. Truman Seymour in the
bloody and disastrous battle of Olustee. In April, 1864, he went to
Virginia as commander of a brigade in Terry's division and
participated in the battles of Drewry's bluff, Deep run, Darbytown
road, and various affairs near Bermuda Hundred and Deep bottom, and
subsequently commanded a division in the battle of New Market road and
took part in the siege of Petersburg. Having been made
brigadier-general in Sept., 1864, he commanded a picked brigade sent
to New York in November to keep peace during election, and in Jan.,
1865, when Gen. Terry was sent to lead the operations against Fort
Fisher, Gen. Hawley succeeded him to the command of the division, and
on Gen. Terry's return became his chief of staff. He was military
governor of the district of southeastern North Carolina from February
to June, 1865, was chief of staff to Gen. Terry in command of the
department of Virginia, with headquarters at Richmond, until Oct.,
1865, when he returned to Connecticut, was brevetted major-general of
volunteers, and on Jan. 15, 1866, was honorably discharged from the
service. Gen. Hawley was elected governor of Connecticut in 1866, was
defeated for re-election the following year, was president of the
Republican national convention in 1868, secretary of the committee on
resolutions in 1872, and chairman of the committee on resolutions in
1876. He was elected to Congress to fill a vacancy and served 1872-75,
was then defeated for the two succeeding Congresses, but held his seat
again 1879-81. He was elected United States senator in 1881 by the
unanimous vote of his party, and was re-elected three times, holding
that office at the time of his death in 1905. He was president of the
U. S. centennial commission, 1873-77. In 1884 Gen. Hawley was
candidate for the Republican nomination for president of the United
States. Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
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