Sculpted by Gary Casteel
 
1863 Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Monument Replicas
 
At the time of his death, Confederate Lt. Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill was third in seniority in the Army of Northern Virginia, commander of the Third Army Corps since its creation in June of 1863, and senior officer in command of all the troops south of the Appomattox River.  
 
Since the events of April 2, 1865, there have been many speculations regarding Hill’s death.  According to the account of Sgt. George W. Tucker, Hill’s sergeant of couriers, Hill was at Gen. Robert E. Lee’s headquarters that morning, when reports arrived of supply wagons wildly retreating and Federal troops behind the Confederate lines.  Hill rode out with Tucker and another courier to rally his men to try to stop the breakthrough.  Concerned with Hill’s reckless attitude, Lee sent his aide, Lt. Col. C.S. Venable, to accompany Hill with a plea to not expose himself.  The four men soon encountered Union troops.  They took two prisoners, sending them to the rear with one of the couriers.  Hill then sent Col. Venable off to position William T. Poage’s Artillery Battalion, which was bivouacked on a nearby hill.
 
Hill then proceeded with Sgt. Tucker, hoping to skirt around the Union breakthrough to reach the headquarters of Heth’s Division, but he knew the risk – he told Tucker that if anything happened to him Tucker was to immediately head back to report to Lee.
 
Hill and Tucker were moving through the woods to the northwest of Boydton Plank Road when they ran into more Union troops, two of whom were very close by behind a tree. Hill told Tucker, “We must take them!” and spurred forward. Tucker called to Hill to stay back and that he would take them, but Hill rode with Tucker to within twenty yards of the Federals. Tucker called out, “If you fire, you’ll be swept to hell! Our men are here – surrender!” and then, when the Federals’ rifles stayed up, Hill ordered, “Surrender your arms!”
 
One of the rifles wavered but the second man shouted back, “I can’t see it!” and to his companion, “Let us shoot them.” Both fired. One round flew wide, but the second clipped off Hill’s thumb and pierced his heart. Tucker had already grabbed the bridle of Hill’s horse to lead him to safety, and as they galloped off he looked back to see Hill on the ground, arms outstretched and motionless.
 
As historian and author Edward Alexander noted: “The actual details, written by John W. Mauk (who shot Hill) and George W. Tucker (who escorted the general), are confirmed by all reliable reports, correspondence, and trusted sources. Hill left his headquarters in the early morning, rode to Lee’s headquarters west of Petersburg where he was alerted that his lines were broken, and then took off for Henry Heth’s headquarters along the Boydton Plank Road. He followed Cattail Run to avoid detection before riding across an open meadow opposite the John W. Harman house to reach the vacated Pickrell house division headquarters. At the end of the meadow, Hill and Tucker encountered Corporal John W. Mauk and Private Daniel Wolford of the 138th Pennsylvania Infantry, who had ventured all the way to the South Side Railroad after breaking through the Confederate lines near the Hart house that morning. After a short standoff, Mauk and Wolford fired, killing Hill.” (from Emerging Civil War, “The Many Deaths of A.P. Hill” by Edward Alexander, Posted on June 22, 2020)
 
Hill’s aide returned to headquarters and gave Lee the devastating news.  Lee ordered a charge to procure Hill’s body and his remains were taken to his expectant wife.  A funeral with full military honors was given that day.  Hill was buried in the city cemetery in Petersburg.  His body was later interred in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
 
When Robert E. Lee was told of Hill’s death he burst into tears. “He is at rest now,” he said, “and we who are left are the ones to suffer.”
 
The monument was dedicated in April 1912 and is located southwest of Petersburg on the southeast side of the intersection of Boydton Plank Road (US 1) and Duncan Road.