When Major General Franz Siegel had been defeated by Confederate General Breckininridge and Colonel Mosby in the Shenandoah Valley, Grant had no choice but to replace him. On May 19, 1864, Grant appointed Major General David Hunter to head the Army of the Shenandoah. Hunter was a Virginian, who had been a solid Unionist. It appeared that Grant had found the right general to insure the Union's integrity in the vital Shenandoah Valley.