John Gibbon
| John Gibbon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
April 20, 1827 Holmesburg, Pennsylvania |
| Died | February 6, 1896 (aged 68) Baltimore, Maryland |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1847 – 1891 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Commands held |
XXIV Corps, Army of the James XVIII Corps Second Division, II Corps Second Division, I Corps Iron Brigade |
| Battles/wars |
Mexican–American War
Nez Perce War |
| Relations |
John Heysham Gibbon, (great-nephew) |
Mexican–American War
Seminole Wars
American Civil War
John Gibbon (April 20, 1827 – February 6, 1896) was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.
Gibbon was born in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the fourth child of ten born to Dr. John Heysham Gibbons and Catharine Lardner Gibbons. He is the brother of Lardner Gibbon. When Gibbon was nearly 11 years old the family moved near Charlotte, North Carolina, after his father took a position as chief assayer at the U.S. Mint. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1847 and was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery. He served in the Mexican-American War without seeing combat, attempted to keep the peace between Seminoles and settlers in south Florida, and taught artillery tactics at West Point, where he wrote The Artillerist's Manual in 1859. The manual was a highly scientific treatise on gunnery and was used by both sides in the Civil War. In 1855, Gibbon married Francis "Fannie" North Moale. They had four children: Frances Moale Gibbon, Catharine "Katy" Lardner Gibbon, John Gibbon, Jr. (he died at age 12 days) and John S. Gibbon.
When war broke out between the states, Gibbon was serving as a captain of Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery at Camp Floyd in Utah. Despite the fact that his father was a slaveholder and that three of his brothers, two brothers-in-law and his cousin J. Johnston Pettigrew served in the Confederate military, Gibbon decided to uphold his oath to the Union. Upon arrival in Washington, Gibbon, still in command of the 4th U.S. Artillery, became chief of artillery for Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell. In 1862, he was appointed brigadier general of volunteers and commanded the brigade of westerners known as King's Wisconsin Brigade. Gibbon quickly set about drilling his troops and improving their appearance, ordering them to wear white leggings and distinctive, black, 1858 regular army, Hardee hats. Their famous hats earned them the nickname, "The Black Hat Brigade". He led the brigade into action against the famous Confederate Stonewall Brigade at the Battle of Brawner's Farm, a prelude to the Second Battle of Bull Run. He was in command of the brigade during their strong uphill charge at the Battle of South Mountain, where Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker exclaimed that the men "fought like iron". From then on, the brigade was known as the "Iron Brigade". Gibbon led the brigade at the Battle of Antietam, where he was forced to take time away from brigade command to personally man an artillery piece in the bloody fighting at the Cornfield.
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Wikipedia