John Gibbon
Born	(1827-04-20)April 20, 1827 Holmesburg, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	February 6, 1896(1896-02-06) (aged 68) Baltimore,Maryland, U.S.
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Branch	United States Army Union Army
Service years	1847 – 1891
Rank	Major General
Commands	XXIV Corps, Army of the James XVIII Corps Second Division, II Corps Second Division, I Corps Iron Brigade
Conflicts	Mexican–American War Seminole Wars American Civil War Second Battle of Bull Run Maryland Campaign Battle of Fredericksburg (WIA) Chancellorsville Campaign Second Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Gettysburg (WIA) Overland Campaign Siege of Petersburg Appomattox Campaign Great Sioux War Nez Perce War
Relations	John Heysham Gibbon, (great-nephew)

John Gibbon^[1] (April 20, 1827 – February 6, 1896) was a careerUnited States Army officer who fought in theAmerican Civil War and theIndian Wars.

Gibbon was born in theHolmesburg section ofPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, the fourth child of 10 born to Dr. John Heysham Gibbons and Catharine Lardner Gibbons.^[2] He was the brother of Lardner Gibbon, publisher ofExploration of the Valley of the Amazon. When Gibbon was nearly 11 years old, the family moved nearCharlotte, North Carolina, after his father took a position as chief assayer at the U.S. Mint.^[3]

He graduated from theUnited States Military Academy in 1847 and was commissioned abrevetsecond lieutenant in the3rd U.S. Artillery. He served in theMexican–American War without seeing combat,^[4] attempted to keep the peace betweenSeminoles and settlers in southFlorida, and taught artillery tactics atWest Point, where he wroteThe Artillerist's Manual in 1859.

The manual was a highly scientific treatise on gunnery 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, and John S. Gibbon.

When the Civil War began, Gibbon was serving as acaptain ofBattery B, 4th U.S. Artillery atCamp Floyd inUtah. Although his family owned slaves and several of his family members (three brothers, two brothers-in-law, and his cousinJ. Johnston Pettigrew) served in theConfederate military, Gibbon remained loyal to the Union.^[5]

Upon arrival in Washington, Gibbon, still in command of the 4th U.S. Artillery, became chief of artillery forMaj. Gen.Irvin McDowell. In 1862, he was appointedbrigadier general of volunteers and commanded the brigade of westerners known asKing's Wisconsin Brigade. Gibbon quickly set about drilling his troops and improving their appearance, ordering them to wear white leggings and distinctive, black, 1858regular army,Hardee hats. Their famous hats earned them the nickname "The Black Hat Brigade". Soldiers in his brigade despised the white leggings. While still in camp in Washington D.C., Gibbon awoke one morning to find his horse dressed in the leggings. He led the brigade into action against the famousConfederateStonewall Brigade at the Battle ofBrawner's Farm, a prelude to theSecond Battle of Bull Run.^[6]

He was in command of the brigade during their strong uphill charge at theBattle of South Mountain, where Maj. Gen.George B. McClellan exclaimed that the men "fought like iron". From then on, the brigade was known as the "Iron Brigade". Gibbon led the brigade at theBattle of Antietam, where he was forced to take time away from brigade command to personally operate an artillery piece in the bloody fighting at the Cornfield.

Gibbon was promoted to command the 2nd Division,I Corps at theBattle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, where he was wounded. The wound was minor but was repeatedly infected, so Gibbon was on leave for a few months. Shortly after returning to duty, he learned of the sudden death of his son, John Gibbon Jr.^[7]

Gibbon returned for theBattle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, but his division was in reserve and saw little action. At theBattle of Gettysburg in July, he commanded the 2nd Division,II Corps, and temporarily commanded the corps on July 2 and early July 3, 1863, while Maj. Gen.Winfield Scott Hancock was elevated to command larger units.^[8]

At the end of thecouncil of war on the night of July 2, army commander Maj. Gen.George Meade took Gibbon aside and predicted, "IfLee attacks tomorrow, it will be on your front."^[9] Meade's prediction proved correct; Gibbon's division bore the brunt ofPickett's Charge on July 3, where Gibbon was again wounded.^[10] While recovering from his wounds, he commanded a draft depot inCleveland, Ohio, and attended the dedication ofSoldiers' National Cemetery in November 1863 with his close friend and aide Lt.Frank A. Haskell.^[11]

Gibbon was back in command of the 2nd Division during Gen. Grant'sOverland Campaign in May and June 1864, seeing action at the battles ofthe Wilderness,Spotsylvania Court House, andCold Harbor. On June 7, 1864, he was promoted to major general of volunteers. During the subsequentSiege of Petersburg campaign (June 1864 to April 1865), Gibbon became disheartened when his troops refused to fight atReam's Station in August 1864. He briefly commanded theXVIII Corps before going on sick leave.

His service being too valuable, he returned to command the newly createdXXIV Corps in theArmy of the James. His troops helped achieve the decisive breakthrough atThird Battle of Petersburg in April 1865, capturingFort Gregg, part of the Confederate defenses. During theAppomattox Campaign, he helped block the Confederate escape route at theBattle of Appomattox Courthouse, resulting in Gen. Lee's surrender. He was one of three commissioners for the Confederate surrender.

Gibbon stayed in the army after the war. He reverted to theregular army rank ofcolonel. He was in command of the 7th Infantry of the Montana Column consisting of the F, G, H, and L of the 2nd Cavalry under James S. Brisbin from Fort Ellis and his regiment of 7th Infantry stationed at Shaw, Baker, and Ellis in theMontana Territory, during thecampaign against theSioux in 1876. Gibbon, GeneralGeorge Crook, and GeneralAlfred Terry were to make a coordinated campaign against the Sioux andCheyenne, but Crook was driven back at theBattle of the Rosebud.

Gibbon was not close by when Lt. Col.George Armstrong Custer attacked a very large village on the banks of theLittle Bighorn River. TheBattle of the Little Bighorn resulted in the deaths of Custer and some 261 of his men. Gibbon's approach on June 26 probably saved the lives of the several hundred men under the command of MajorMarcus Reno, who were still under siege. Gibbon arrived the next day and helped to bury the dead and evacuate the wounded.

Gibbon was still in command in Montana the following year when he received a telegraph from GeneralOliver Otis Howard to cut off theNez Percé who had left Idaho, pursued by Howard. (SeeNez Perce War) In western Montana, Gibbon found the Nez Perce near theBig Hole River. At theBattle of the Big Hole, Gibbon's forces inflicted and suffered heavy casualties, including several dozen Nez Perce civilians, and Gibbon became pinned down by Indian sniper fire. The Nez Perce withdrew in good order after the second day of the battle. In response to Gibbon's urgent call for help, General Howard and an advance party arrived the next day at the battlefield. Because of his casualties and a wound he suffered, Gibbon was unable to continue his pursuit of the Nez Perce.^[12]

Gibbon was a Life Member of theMilitary Service Institution of the United States and won the institution's first gold medal prize for his essay on "Our Indian question", which is published in Volume 2 of theJournal of the Military Service Institution of the United States.^[13][14]

Gibbon served temporarily as commander of theDepartment of the Platte in 1884. He was promoted to brigadier general in the regular army in 1885 and took command of theDepartment of the Columbia, representing all posts in the Pacific Northwest. He placedSeattle, Washington, undermartial law during theanti-Chinese riots of 1886. From 1890, Gibbon was also head of theMilitary Division of the Atlantic. Gibbon retired in 1891 upon turning 64.

Gibbon served as president of the Iron Brigade Association and Commander in Chief of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States from October 1895 until his death the following year. He also gave the commencement address to the West Point Class of 1886.

It is said the Gibbon was traveling through Wisconsin, heard of an Iron Brigade reunion, and decided to stop by. Upon knocking on the door of the reunion venue, Gibbon was asked by a veteran who he was. Gibbon is said to have replied, "General Gibbon, and I'm still looking for the bastards who dressed my horse in white leggings!" At this, Gibbon was welcomed inside to take part in the reunion.

Gibbon died inBaltimore,Maryland, and is buried inArlington National Cemetery. In addition to his famous and influentialArtillerist's Manual of 1859, he is the author ofPersonal Recollections of the Civil War, published posthumously in 1928, andAdventures on the Western Frontier, also posthumous, 1994, along with many articles in magazines and journals, typically recounting his time in the West and providing his opinions on the government's policy toward Native Americans.

On July 3, 1988, the 125th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, a bronze statue of Gibbon was dedicated in theGettysburg National Military Park, near the site of his wounding in Pickett's Charge.^[15]

The town ofGibbon in south central Minnesota is named after him, as areGibbonsville, Idaho;Gibbon, Oregon;Gibbon, Nebraska;^[16] andGibbon, Washington.^[17][18] TheGibbon River^[19] and Falls in Yellowstone National Park also bear his name after his 1872 expedition there.

• Gibbon was portrayed in the filmGettysburg by Emile O. Schmidt.
• Gibbon was a character in thealternate history novelGettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War (2003) byNewt Gingrich andWilliam Forstchen.

• Eicher, John H., andDavid J. Eicher.Civil War High Commands. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001.ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• Gaff, Alan D.On Many a Bloody Field: Four Years in the Iron Brigade. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999.ISBN 978-0-253-21294-8.
• Gibbon, John.Adventures on the Western Frontier. Edited byAlan D. Gaff and Maureen Gaff. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994.ISBN 0-253-32579-X.
• Haskell, Frank A.The Battle of Gettysburg: A Soldier's First Account. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2003.ISBN 978-0-486-42761-4. First published 1908 byMOLLUS, Massachusetts Commandery.
• Herdegen, Lance J.The Men Stood Like Iron: How the Iron Brigade Won Its Name. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997.ISBN 978-0-253-33221-9.
• Lavery, Dennis S. "John Gibbon." InEncyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History, edited by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.ISBN 0-393-04758-X.
• Lavery, Dennis S., and Mark H. Jordan.Iron Brigade General: John Gibbon, Rebel in Blue. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003.ISBN 978-0-313-28576-9.
• Nolan, Alan T.The Iron Brigade, A Military History. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1961.ISBN 0-253-34102-7.
• Tagg, Larry.The Generals of Gettysburg. Campbell, CA: Savas Publishing, 1998.ISBN 1-882810-30-9.
• Warner, Ezra J.Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964.ISBN 0-8071-0822-7.
• Wright, Steven J., and Blake A. Magner. "John Gibbon: The Man and the Monument."Gettysburg Magazine 13 (July 1995).

• Gibbon, John.Gibbon on the Sioux Campaign of 1876. Bellevue, NV: The Old Army Press, 1970.OCLC 2806703.
• Gibbon, John.Personal Recollections of the Civil War. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1928.OCLC 1662008.
• Nolan, Alan T., and Sharon Eggleston Vipond, eds.Giants in their Tall Black Hats: Essays on the Iron Brigade. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998.ISBN 0-253-33457-8.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJohn Gibbon.

• TheJohn Gibbon papers, including correspondence, memoirs, and commentary on many aspects of his life and the military, are available for research use at theHistorical Society of Pennsylvania.
• Photograph of Gibbon in 1889 withChief Joseph.
• Photographs of "loved Commander" Gibbon and his grave.
• Several photographs of Gibbon at theWayback Machine (archived February 8, 2008).
• ANC Explorer

• 1827 births
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• Writers from Philadelphia
• Military personnel from Charlotte, North Carolina
• Union army generals
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• Iron Brigade
• United States Military Academy alumni
• Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
• People of the Great Sioux War of 1876
• Nez Perce War

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