Hancock who had demanded Union fire to lift the spirits of the infantrymen pinned down under Alexander's bombardment. Hunt ordered that counter-battery fire cease to conserve ammunition, reserving sufficient amounts for anti-personnel fire in the attack he knew was coming. Hunt also directed his cannons to cease fire slowly to create the illusion that they were being destroyed one by one, which fooled the Confederates into thinking his batteries were destroyed and triggered their disastrous charge. His concealed placement of Lt. Col. Freeman McGilvery's batteries north of Little Round Top caused massive casualties in the infantry assault. Hunt was rewarded for his service with the brevet of colonel in the Regular Army. Hunt reported in detail on the artillery's role at Gettysburg. He always maintained that the Confederate attack would never have happened had he been allowed to do what he'd intended—conserve his long-range ammunition during the initial southern bombardment, then hit them with everything he had when they lined up for their advance. In addition to Instructions for Field Artillery, Hunt was the author of papers on Gettysburg in the Battles and Leaders series. Siege of Petersburg The rest of the war was an anticlimax for Hunt. He served in Virginia to the end of the war, managing the siege operations of Petersburg in 1864 and 1865. He was breveted major general both in the volunteers and in the Regular Army. Postbellum When the U.S. Army was reorganized in 1866, Hunt became colonel of the 5th U.S. Artillery. He served as commanding officer of Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island from May 20, 1869 until November 10, 1875 and as president of the permanent Artillery Board. Hunt held various commands until retirement from the Army in 1883. Later life Upon retirement in 1883, Hunt become governor of the Soldiers' Home in Washington, D.C. He died in 1889 and is buried in the Soldiers' Home National Cemetery. Fort Hunt Park in Northern Virginia is named after Hunt. In popular media Hunt is featured prominently in the alternate history novel Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War by Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen. He also appears in the sequel novels of the series, Grant Comes East and Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory. See also List of American Civil War generals (Union) Notes References Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. Civil War High Commands. Stanford, CA: