Robert Brown Hampton

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Husband Robert Brown Hampton ¹

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           Born: 19 Nov 1814 - Rockhill, Fauquier Co, VA 1
     Christened: 
           Died: 3 May 1863 - Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania Co, VA 1
         Buried: 

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         Father: William Hunton Hampton (1784-1821) 1
         Mother: Mary Shacklett (1787-1828) 1

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General Notes: Husband - Robert Brown Hampton

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After the death of his parents he lived with his aunt, Miss Kitty Shacklett, on her farm known as Yew Hill, Virginia, and while still a lad fol­lowed his brother Wade to Pennsylvania, re­siding with him for a time in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Later he engaged in the commission produce business in Philadelphia, as a partner in the firm of Love, Martin & Company. In 1849 he went to California and remained about ten years, hav­ing mercantile and mining interests. During his residence there he took an active part in political and military affairs, and was in 1851 appointed by the Whig State Convention of California one of the seven members of the State Central Committee. He was also an officer in the First California Guard and a potent influence in the preservation of order in the early and formative period of the state.
Early in 1860 Captain Hampton returned to Pennsylvania, settling in Pittsburgh. At this time the petroleum trade was attracting gen­eral attention, and he became interested, spend­ing much of his time in the oil regions, with headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania. It was during one of his sojourns there that the civil war broke out, and he determined to organize a battery and join the army. A com­mission was issued by Governor Curtin, dated November 9, 1861, to “R. B. Hampton, of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, as captain of Hampton's Light Artillery Company, said commission to hold from October 7, 1861.” From that time forward until he fell at Chan­cellorsville, Captain Hampton's life was de­voted to his battery. He was a born com­mander, possessing, with the fortitude of a soldier, the chivalrous nature of an honorable gentleman, and held the men of his battery in high esteem and almost paternal regard. He never married, and his home was that of his brother. In March, 1863, he was presented by the men of his battery with a splendid sword, the following inscription being en­graved upon the scabbard: “Presented to Captain R. B. Hampton by the members of his Battery, as a token of their regard. Middle­town, fought May 24, 1862; Winchester, fought May 25, 1862; Rappahannock, fought August 22, 1862; White Sulphur Springs, fought August 24, 1862; Bull Run, fought Au­gust 29-30, 1862; Antietam, fought September 17, 1862.” The following is taken from the “History of the Hampton Battery in the Civil War,” published in 1909:
“The record of Captain Robert B. Hampton is such a brilliant one that no words of praise that we can now write would add any luster to it. As he was carried from the field past the Chancellorsville House, the headquarters of General Hooker, the commanding general, notwithstanding the hurry and confusion of the battle, found time to lean over his wounded comrade and bid him good-bye, and to be of good cheer. We subjoin an extract from a letter written by General Joe Hooker to a gentleman in Pittsburgh, in which he makes mention of Captain Hampton.
“'Lookout Valley, Tenn., Feb. 24, 1864.
“'My Dear Sir:-
“'It was my fortune to make the acquaintance of Robert Hampton in California, and when I assure you that his character as a citizen was marked by qualities no less attractive than those subsequently displayed by him as a soldier, you will be able to appreciate my friendship for that lamented officer. Indeed, his character was almost faultless. Genial, generous, strong and faithful in his private life, and in his official character humorous, brave and noble. Of all who have fallen victims of the Rebellion, I know of no firmer spirit than that of your friend, Bob Hampton.
“'Very respectfully your friend,
“'Joseph Hooker.”

“An impressive monument in the “Peach Orchard” marks the position of Hampton's Battery at Gettys­burg, and another in honor of the battery stands in East Park, Pittsburgh, (North Side).

1 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1913), Pg 1105.