[1] He was engaged in commercial pursuits with his father, was an active member of the Sons of Liberty, and of the Committee of Correspondence established at Norwich on 6 June 1774.

When Israel Bissell brought the Lexington Alarm to Norwich on April 20, 1775, he personally delivered it to Colonel Huntington, who immediately got his men ready to march.

The regiment was stationed on the Long Island Sound until September 14 when, on requisition from Washington, it was ordered to the Boston Camps and took its post at Roxbury in Gen. Spencer's Brigade.

[5]: 14 Huntington's regiment began fortifying New York City in anticipation of a British attack and it was here they heard of the Declaration of Independence.

Around August 19, Colonel Huntington became seriously ill, possibly with malaria, and was unable to perform his duties, so his second in command Lt. Col. Joel Clark replaced him.

[5]: 91  When the Battle of Long Island was fought on the 27th, most of Huntington's regiment was surrounded and taken as prisoners, including Lt. Col. Clark, who died in captivity.

The few men left of Huntington's regiment joined the main army under the command of Gen. Heath and evacuated with them as they fled New York.

The Connecticut units were not used in the Saratoga campaign, so Washington moved them from Peekskill to join him at Valley Forge and they spent the bitter winter there.

In June it was encamped in the highlands on the east side of the river opposite West Point and here they continued construction of three redoubts that had previously been started.

About 21 October, the enemy destroyed and abandoned their posts at Stony and Verplanck's Points, so the Connecticut Line was ordered to those locations, where they began repairs.

Since the three-year enlistments of men from 1777 were expiring, General Huntington had to focus on recruiting to maintain the strength of the brigade.

It was then they heard of the treason of Benedict Arnold and some of the units were positioned around West Point to protect it against a possible enemy attack.

[7]: 305 On June 24, 1783, Washington wrote that the army was "reduced to a competent garrison for West Point; Patterson, Huntington, and Greaton being the only brigadiers now left with it, besides the adjutant general."

[2][10] In 1788, he was appointed high sheriff of New London and later the same year the following announcement appeared in the papers: "Major General Huntington Esq.

Later in 1789, he relinquished most of these duties when President Washington appointed him to be the customs house collector for the coastal area from the Connecticut River to Rhode Island.

He held this post, living in New London, until his death in 1818, when he was succeeded by Brigadier General Thomas Humphrey Cushing.

[11] In addition to his father being a major general, Huntington's brother Andrew and half-brothers Joshua, Ebenezer and Zachariah were officers during the war.