General Orders, No. 18 (Headquarters of the Army)

October 24, 1861

On October 24, 1861, the U.S. War Department issued General Orders, No. 18 replacing Major General John C. Fremont with Major General David Hunter as commander of the Western Department, by direction of President Abraham Lincoln.

David Hunter, General, USA, Civil War, LOC 04526

Major General David Hunter. Image Source: Library of Congress.

GENERAL ORDERS, No. 18.

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
Washington, October 24, 1861.

Major-General Fremont, of the U. S. Army, the present commander of the Western Department of the same, will, on the receipt of this order, call Major-General Hunter, of the U. S. Volunteers, to relieve him temporarily in that command, when he (Major-General Fremont) will report to General Headquarters, by letter, for further orders.

WINFIELD SCOTT.
By command:

E. D. TOWNSEND,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations, including APA Style, Chicago Style, and MLA Style.

  • Article Title General Orders, No. 18 (Headquarters of the Army)
  • Date October 24, 1861
  • Author
  • Keywords fremont, hunter
  • Website Name American History Central: The Encyclopedia of American History
  • Publisher American History Central
  • Producer R.Squared Communications, LLC
  • Date Published
  • Last Update January 9, 2025
  • Access Date October 7, 2026

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