Georgia Historical Society

History of Emancipation: Gen. David Hunter and General Orders No. 7

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

2:00 p.m.

At Fort Pulaski National Monument, Visitors Center
US Highway 80 East, Savannah
Free and open to the public

Marker Text:
History of Emancipation: Gen. David Hunter and General Orders No. 7

On April 13, 1862, following the Union capture of Ft. Pulaski during the Civil War, Maj. Gen. David Hunter issued General Orders No. 7 freeing those enslaved at the fort and on Cockspur Island.  Hunter, an abolitionist advocating the enlistment of black soldiers in the Union Army, ordered freedmen subject to military service.  Not yet committed to a comprehensive plan of emancipation, President Abraham Lincoln overturned the orders.  However, Hunter’s orders were a precursor to Lincoln’s own Emancipation Proclamation, formally issued January 1, 1863, and to the establishment of the Bureau of Colored Troops on May 22, 1863.  Local African-American units included the 103rd Regiment USCT, which served at Ft. Pulaski 1865-1866.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and Sam's Club and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

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