Hazen, William Babcock, 1830–87, American general, b. West Hartford, near Hartford, Vt. In the Civil War he fought at Shiloh, Perryville, and Murfreesboro, and in the Chattanooga campaign. Promoted to major general of volunteers (1864), he led a division in General Sherman's campaign through Georgia and the Carolinas. After the war he served many years in the West. His criticism of army contracts and the post-trader system helped to expose the misdealings of William Worth Belknap in the War Dept. Hazen was appointed chief signal officer in 1880. As ex officio head of the Weather Bureau, he organized the polar expedition of Adolphus W. Greely.
See his Narrative of Military Service (1885).
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