An Address on the Unveiling of the Statue of Major-General George G. Meade
(
This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
John Gibbon was a soldier and author. He fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.
Background
John Gibbon was born on April 20, 1827, near Holmesburg, Pennsylvania, now within the boundaries of the city of Philadelphia. He was the third son of Dr. John Heysham Gibbon who upon attaining his majority dropped the final “s” from his family name, and of Catharine (Lardner) Gibbon.
Education
A few years later, Dr. Gibbon removed with his family to Charlotte, North Carolina, and it was from that state that young Gibbon received his appointment to the United States Military Academy in 1842.
Career
Graduating in 1847, Gibbon was commissioned in the artillery and sent to duty in Mexico, where, however, active operations had ceased before his arrival.
He had a taste of Indian warfare in Florida in 1849, against the Seminoles, followed by garrison duty in the West and five years at West Point, teaching artillery practise. Here he prepared The Artillerist’s Manual, adopted by the War Department in 1859 and published in 1860.
He had been promoted first lieutenant in 1850. He was now (1859) promoted captain, and joined his battery in Utah, whence he marched back to Fort Leavenworth a few months later, at the beginning of the Civil War.
Though a Southerner by adoption, and though three of his brothers joined the Confederate army, he remained loyal to the Union. He was ordered to Washington in October 1861 and served for some months as chief of artillery of McDowell’s Division.
He seems to have had a natural talent for dealing with the volunteer soldier, whose possibilities, as well as limitations, he appreciated from the first; and his success during the period of organization and training brought him appointment as brigadier-general of volunteers, May 2, 1862, and assignment to the command of what later became famous as the “Iron Brigade. ”
He led it at the second battle of Bull Run, at South Mountain, and at Antietam, and was then advanced to the command of a division. At Fredericksburg he was severely wounded, and was absent from duty for more than three months.
He was again wounded on the third day at Gettysburg, in which battle he commanded the II Corps twice when Gen. Hancock was temporarily ordered to another part of the field. After his recovery he commanded a draft depot until he was able to rejoin the army in the field, in the spring of 1864.
As a division commander he took part in all the heavy fighting of the Army of the Potomac that year - the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and the rest. He was promoted majorgeneral of volunteers, June 7, 1864.
After the fight at Reams’s Station, in August, he issued an order depriving three regiments, whose colors had been captured, of the privilege of carrying colors until they should regain it by their behavior in future battles.
In this action, he was sustained by his superiors, but it caused considerable controversy, both in and out of the army, which was ended only upon the restoration of their colors to all three regiments in recognition of their gallant conduct at Hatcher’s Run, in October.
In January 1865, he was given the new XXIV Corps, in the Army of the James, commanded it in the final operations against Lee’s army, and was one of the commissioners designated to arrange the details of the surrender.
He was mustered out of the volunteer service, January 15, 1866, and appointed colonel of one of the new regiments of infantry of the regular army, July 28, 1866. His service after the Civil War was chiefly in the West, and included much Indian fighting.
He commanded the expedition, in 1876, which rescued the survivors of Custer’s command and buried the dead at Little Bighorn. In 1877, after a march of 250 miles he attacked and defeated the Nez Perce Indians under Chief Joseph, whose fast friend he afterward became. He was made brigadier-general, July 10, 1885.
As commander of the Department of the Columbia he was called upon (1885 - 86) to maintain the peace during the threatened anti-Chinese outbreak in Seattle. In 1885, he wrote his Personal Recollections of the Civil War, which remained in manuscript until 1928.
In 1891, he retired from active service. He died at Baltimore, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.