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Caleb Huse
1831–1905
A West Point–trained officer from Massachusetts who ended up serving the Confederacy, he became one of its most important overseas weapons buyers during the Civil War. His story links military education, international diplomacy, and one of the war's most unusual career turns.
1 Audiobook
The Supplies for the Confederate Army,
by Caleb Huse
About the author
Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, in 1831, Caleb Huse entered the United States Military Academy at a young age and graduated seventh in the West Point class of 1851. He later taught chemistry, mineralogy, and geology there, building a reputation as a disciplined military educator.
In 1860 he went to the University of Alabama, where he helped shape its military training program and served as commandant of cadets. When the Civil War began, he resigned from the U.S. Army and joined the Confederacy, despite being Northern-born.
Huse is best remembered for his wartime work in Europe as a Confederate purchasing agent. He negotiated arms contracts—especially in Britain and Austria—and was credited with securing much of the weaponry imported by the Confederacy. He died in Highland Falls, New York, in 1905.