| Harrison Carroll Hobart | |
|---|---|
Hobart in his military uniform |
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| Born | January 31, 1815 Ashburnham, Massachusetts |
| Died | January 26, 1902 (aged 86) Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Service/branch | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861-1865 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | 21st Wisconsin Infantry |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Brevet Brigadier General, U.S.V |
| Other work | lawyer |
Harrison Carroll Hobart was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and a lawyer and politician in the state of Wisconsin.
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Hobart was born on January 31, 1815 in Ashburnham, Massachusetts.[1] He graduated from Darmouth College in 1842.[2] Eventually he would move to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and later to Chilton, Wisconsin. He died on January 23, 1902 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is buried in Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee.[2]
In 1847 Hobart served in the Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory. After Wisconsin became a state he would serve in the Wisconsin State Senate in 1848 and the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1849 and 1859.
During the Civil War he was appointed Captain in the 4th Wisconsin Infantry on July 2, 1861.[2][3] On October 15, 1862 he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 21st Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment.[2] He fought at the battles of Stones River and Hoover's Gap. At the Battle of Chickamauga, Lt. Col. Hobart was wounded and taken prisoner on September 19 or 20, 1863.[2]
Hobart was sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia.[2] There he helped lead the escape of 109 Union prisoners through a tunnel out of the prison on February 9, 1864.[2] Hobart was tasked with closing off the tunnel after the last escapee had gone through.[4] Roughly half the men made it back to Union lines, including Hobart where he rejoined the 21st Wisconsin.[5]
Hobart returned to the front in time for the Atlanta Campaign. He was promoted to colonel of the regiment on November 1, 1864.[2] During the Carolinas Campaign, Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General Hobart led the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, XX Corps.[2] He was engaged at Averasborough and was conspicuous at the battle of Bentonville. On January 23, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln nominated Hobart for the award of the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general, United States Volunteers to rank from January 12, 1865, and the U. S. Senate confirmed the award on February 14, 1865.[6] He was discharged on June 16, 1865.[2]
After the war's end that same year he ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Wisconsin. He served in the State Assembly for a final time in 1867.
Hobart was the co-author of the book, The Citizen Soldier (1879).[2]