George H. Hanks

George H. Hanks
Born c 1829
Died 23 October 1871(1871-10-23) (aged 41–42)
Fort Scott, Kansas
Allegiance United States
Service/branch
Years of service
  • 1862-65 (U.S. Army)
Rank
Unit
Battles/wars
  • Civil War

George H. Hanks (c1829 - October 23, 1871) was an abolitionist[1] and civil rights activist and colonel in the US Civil War.

Hanks was married before the war, and was a resident of Hartford, Connecticut.[2] On January 1, 1862, Hanks joined Company H of the 12th Connecticut Volunteers. On January 1st, 1863, he was appointed to the staff of General William T. Sherman to organize black labor of his department. He was promoted to Colonel on the general staff corps of the army and transferred to New Orleans.[3]

On August 27, 1863, Hanks was appointed by Major General Nathaniel Banks along with Colonel John S. Clark and Major B. Bush Plumley to a commission to regulate the enrollment, recruitment, employment, and education of blacks in the department of the Gulf, of which Banks was the senior commander. [4]

A woodcut of the slaves Hanks brought northeast that appeared in Harper's Weekly on 30 January 1864 with the caption, "Emancipated Slaves, White and Colored" based on a photograph by Myron Kimball

In November[2] and December of 1863, Hanks embarked on a publicity campaign with the support of Major General Nathaniel Banks to eastern Union States with a goal to raise money for the education of former slaves in Louisiana. At the time, Hanks was also colonel of the 18th Infantry Regiment, Corps d'Afrique, a black unit raised in Louisiana. Included in his trip were eight former emancipated slaves. The group visited photo studios for the creation of cartes de visit. Myron H. Kimball took photos of the group of mixed-race children accompanying Hanks which appeared in Harper's Weekly January 30, 1864.[5] The tour was also coordinated and promoted by the American Missionary Association and the National Freedman's Relief Association.[6] During his trip, Hanks visited his wife who was living in Burlington, Connecticut. In that town, there were protests against him and his mission, which included an egging of the house where he was staying.[2]

Later in April of 1864, Hanks returned to New Orleans where he was Superintendent of Negro Labor. One task he pursued was extending freedom to the children of emancipated slaves who were still being held by their parents' former owners.[7] Hanks worried that Southern planters felt no loyalty to the United States and had no interest to the freedom of blacks, saying that after the war, "to be left without national guarantees for the maintenance of their civil rights as freemen would be worse than slavery.[8] In September of 1864, Hanks was suspended by Banks for mismanagement, but was quickly exonerated and reinstated.[9] Overall, he was highly respected for his effectiveness, and his work played an important role in the organization of the Freedman's Bureau.[3]

After the war, Hanks worked for a time as an agent of Adams Express Company.[10] He was not successful in business. In 1871 he was living in Fort Scott, Kansas. On October 23, 1871, his wife left him due to his drinking and abuse of her. That day, after drinking heavily, he committed suicide by taking a lethal dose of morphine.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Banks, Nathaniel P. The Freedmen of Louisiana, The Liberator (Boston Massachusetts), Fri, Feb 24, 1865, page 2, accessed on newspapers.com on May 1, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5118235//
  2. 1 2 3 Return Home Of George H. Hanks. Hartford Daily Courant (Hartford, Connecticut). Thursday, November 19, 1863. Page: 2
  3. 1 2 Col Geo H Hanks, Fort Scott Daily Monitor (Fort Scott, Kansas), Wed, Oct 25, 1871, page 4 accessed May 1, 2016 on Newspapers.com at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5118154/col_geo_h_hanks_fort_scott_daily/
  4. ↑ The Negroes of Louisiana. Press (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Friday, September 4, 1863. Page: 1
  5. ↑ Hambourg, Maria Morris. The Waking Dream: Photography's First Century : Selections from the Gilman Paper Company Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993, p 317
  6. ↑ Rosenheim, Jeff L. Photography and the American Civil War. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 7 May 2013, p157
  7. ↑ Rothman, Adam. Beyond Freedom's Reach. Harvard University Press, 2015 p163
  8. ↑ Escott, Paul D. "What Shall We Do with the Negro?": Lincoln, White Racism, and Civil War America. University of Virginia Press, 3 Mar 2009. p88
  9. ↑ Colonel Hanks. Hartford Daily Courant (Hartford, Connecticut), Thursday, October 27, 1864 Page: 2
  10. ↑ Latest from Mexico, Memphis Daily Avalanche (Memphis, Tennessee), Sunday, February 4, 1866, Volume: Eight Issue: 34 Page: 2
  11. ↑ Suicide, Fort Scott Daily Monitor (Fort Scott, Kansas), Tue, Oct 24, 1871, page 4, accessed on newspapers.com on May 1, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5118187/suicide_fort_scott_daily_monitor_fort/


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