A.P. Hill - Early Life & Career:
Born November 29, 1825, at his family plantation near Culpeper, VA, Ambrose Powell Hill was the son of Thomas and Frances Hill. Educated locally, Hill elected to pursue a military career and received an appointment to West Point in 1842. Arriving at the academy, he became close friends with his roommate, George B. McClellan. A middling student, Hill's studies were interrupted in 1844 after a night of youthful indiscretions in New York City.
Contracting gonorrhea, he was admitted to the academy hospital, but failed to improve dramatically.
Sent home to recover, he would be plagued by the effects of the disease for the remainder of his life. As a result of his health issues, he was held back a year at West Point and did not graduate with his classmates in 1846, which included notables such as Thomas Jackson, George Pickett, John Gibbon, and Jesse Reno. Dropping into the Class of 1847, he soon befriended Ambrose Burnside and Henry Heth. Graduating on June 19, 1847, Hill ranked 15th in a class of 38. Commissioned a second lieutenant, he received orders to join the 1st US Artillery which was engaged in the Mexican-American War.
https://www.thoughtco.com/lieutenant-general-ambrose-powell-hill-2360578
