Henry Baxter (September 8, 1821 – December 30, 1873) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

At the Battle of Gettysburg, his brigade resisted a Confederate assault from parts of Maj. Gen. Robert E. Rodes's division, slaughtering hundreds in a surprise attack on BG Alfred Iverson's brigade, and held the north flank of the Union position for much of the day before retiring due to lack of ammunition.

His regiment was selected to make an amphibious assault to drive Confederate sharpshooters out of the town, and they were successful, although Baxter was again wounded, this time in the left shoulder with the bullet lodging in his spine.

At the Battle of Gettysburg, Baxter's I Corps brigade arrived around noon just as Confederate Maj. Gen. Robert Rodes's 8,000-man division began to appear on Oak Hill.

Shortly afterward, a Confederate brigade under BG Alfred Iverson advanced without skirmishers and moved past Baxter's men, who were hidden behind a stone wall.

In one of the most one-sided exchanges during the war, Baxter's surprise attack killed, wounded and captured 758 of 1300 men in Confederate Iverson's brigade and eliminated it as an effective fighting force in under ten minutes.

Baxter retained command of his brigade during the reorganization of the Army of the Potomac in March 1864, a sign that he held the confidence of his superiors.

[3] Baxter served as Register of Deeds for Hillsdale County, Michigan, and was then appointed by President Grant as Minister to Honduras in 1869.