Confederate General AP Hill did not own slaves and was against the institution of American Slavery

Confederate General AP HillPhoto byWIkepedia

AP Hill was a different Confederate General

There has been a long-held belief by many that everyone fighting in the Confederate Army desired to maintain the institution of slavery in the United States. Some Americans do not believe that anyone in the south joined the army for States's Rights only but it is true. It was recently announced that the remains of Confederate General AP Hill were removed from underneath a monument on a highway and were returned to his hometown of Culpepper Virginia. Although he was an officer in the war he did not own slaves and was against the institution of American Slavery.

General Hill liked to party

Ambrose Powell Hill was born in Culpepper Virginia on November 9, 1825, and lost his life at age 40 during the Civil War on April 2, 1865. Hill served under Thomas Stonewall Jackson at the United States Military Academy but the two were like oil and water. Jackson was very religious and did not care for Hill's desire to have a good time when he was off duty. The feeling was said to be mutual as Hill could not tolerate Jackson's pious ways. Perhaps Hill should have learned a thing or two from his superior because his promiscuous ways led to a case of gonorrhea that affected him for the rest of his life. He missed so many classes due to the sexually transmitted disease that he had to repeat his third year at the military academy which today is known as West Point.

Census records verify he did not own slaves

Wikipedia outlines the details from Census records that show that although AP Hill's father, uncle and brother were slave owners he was not. In the 1850 census, Thomas Hill (Hill's father) owned 20 slaves in Culpeper County. Ten years later, Thomas Hill Jr. owned at least 38 slaves in Culpeper County.[Hill's uncle (also named Ambrose P. Hill) farmed in Culpeper County, Virginia, using enslaved labor. In the 1840 census, Ambrose P. Hill owned 32 slaves, and 30 slaves in the 1850 census.

This is why it cannot be assumed that all Confederate soldiers had the same mindset and wanted to keep African Americans enslaved. There were some who truly did not want the government telling their state what to do-believe it or not which is why its important to obtain facts before cheering or jeering when it comes to the American Civil War. Hill's wife Kitty was quoted in his autobiography General A P Hill: The Story of a Confederate Warrior:

"He never owned slaves and never approved of the institution of slavery."