★ ★  Gibbon, John

John Gibbon
:us34stars:
Gibbon.jpg


Born:
April 20, 1827

Birthplace: Holmesburg, Pennsylvania

Father: Dr. John Heysham Gibbon 1795 – 1868
(Buried: Elmwood Cemetery, Charlotte, North Carolina)​

Mother: Catherine Lardner 1799 – 1874
(Buried: Elmwood Cemetery, Charlotte, North Carolina)​

Wife: Frances Morale 1830 – 1919
(Buried: New Cathedral Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland)​

Children:

Katherine Lardner “Katy” Gibbon McCoy 1858 – 1888​
(Buried: Fort Vancouver Military Cemetery, Vancouver, Washington)​

Education:

1847: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (20th in class)​

Occupation before War:

1847: Brevet 2nd Lt. United States Army, 3rd Artillery​
1847 – 1850: 2nd Lt. United States Army, 4th Artillery​
1847 – 1848: Served in the Mexican – American War​
1848: Garrison Duty at Fort Monroe, Virginia​
1848 – 1849: Garrison Duty at Fort Brooke, Florida​
1849 – 1850: Served in Florida against the Seminoles​
1850 – 1859: 1st Lt. United States Army, 4th Artillery
Gibbon 2.jpg
1854 – 1857: Assistant Artillery Instructor at West Point​
1857: Member of the Board to test the merits of Breech loading rifles​
1859 – 1866: Captain, United States Army 4th Artillery​
1860 – 1861: Frontier Duty in Utah Territory​

Civil War Career:

1861 – 1862: Chief of Artillery for McDowell’s Division​
1862 – 1864: Brigadier General Union Army Volunteers​
1862: Brigade Commander for Department of the Rappahannock​
1862: Served in the Second Battle Bull Run, Virginia​
1862: Served In the Battle of South Mountain​
1862: Served in the Battle of Antietam, Maryland​
1862: Brevetted Major for Gallantry at Battle of Antietam​
1862: Wounded in the wrist at Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia​
1862: Brevetted Lt. Colonel for Gallantry Battle of Fredericksburg​
1863: Wounded in the scapula at the Battle of Gettysburg​
1863: Brevetted Colonel for Gallantry Battle of Gettysburg​
1863: Commander of Draft Depot in Cleveland, Ohio​
1863 – 1864: Commander of Draft Depot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania​
1864: Served in the Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia​
1864: Served in the Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia​
1864 – 1866: Major General of Union Army Volunteers​
1865: Brevet Brig. General for Gallantry at Battle of Spotsylvania​
1865: Brevet Major General for Gallantry in Capture of Petersburg, Virginia​
1865: One of the Commissioners at Appomattox Court House, Virginia​
1865 – 1866: Commander District of Nottoway​
1866: Mustered out of the Union Army on January 15th
Gibbon 1.jpg

Occupation after War:

1859 – 1866: Captain United States Army 4th​ Artillery​
1866: Member of United States Army, Artillery Board​
1866: Member of Board recommendations for Brevets​
1866 – 1869: Colonel, United States Army, 36th Infantry Regiment​
1866 – 1867: Commander of Fort Kearny, Nebraska​
1868: Commander of Fort Sanders, Dakota Territory​
1868: Commander of Rocky Mountain District​
1869 – 1885: Colonel United States Army 7th Infantry Regiment​
1877: Wounded in the thigh at the Battle of Big Hole Pass​
1878: Member of board to investigate Dr. Hammond, Surgeon General​
1878 – 1879: Commander of U.S. Army, Department of Dakota​
1884 – 1885: Commander of Fort Laramie, Dakota​
1885 – 1891: Brigadier General United States Army​
1885 – 1891: Commander of U.S. Army, Department of Columbia​
1890 – 1891: Commander of U.S. Army, Division of the Pacific​
1891: Retired from United States Army on April 30th due to age​
1895 – 1896: Commander – in – chief of the Loyal Legion​

Died: February 6, 1896

Place of Death: Baltimore, Maryland

Cause of Death: Pneumonia

Age at time of Death: 69 years old

Burial Place: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
 
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There is/was a plaque at Westminster, Maryland on the Deposit and Trust Building, the former site of the Neal house, which read: Site of Abner Neal home. His sons, Henry and Frank, were arrested on Aug. 28, 1862, as southern supporters. Released, they joined the Army of [Northern] Virginia and returned with [J.E.B.] Stuart's advance guard on June 29, 1863, en route to Gettysburg. Here Brig. Gen. John Gibbon, 2nd Corps, Army of Potomac, was cared for on July 4th, 1863 after being wounded at Gettysburg. (Source: Just South of Gettysburg, ed. by Frederick S. Klein, p. 89)

@Polloco mentioned his cousin, Confederate Brigadier General James Johnston J. Pettigrew, who was severely wounded at Gettysburg about the same time Gibbon was wounded, approximately a half-mile away, around 3 p.m. on July 3. Pettigrew was mortally wounded eleven days later during the Confederate retreat, at the Donnelly house near Williamsport, Maryland, by Custer's cavalry (that house, by the way, is owned by a good friend of mine, George Franks III). It was Gibbon's column that found the remains of Custer and his men after Little Big Horn. Three of Gibbon's brothers and also two brothers-in-law reportedly served the Confederacy.

See also: https://civilwartalk.com/threads/la...-the-field-at-gettysburg.150104/#post-1896853
 
The relationship between Gibbon and Winfield Scott Hancock became strained during the Overland Campaign and almost reached a breaking point following Ream's Station. I've attached a link to a brief biography that explains the situation. The significant passages follow. http://www.gdg.org/Discussions/wright.html
The battle of Reams Station was also significant in that it furthered the already tenuous relationship between Hancock and Gibbon, a rift that had been festering since the battle of The Wilderness. At that action, according to some sources, Hancock had been angered by Gibbon's failure to attack A. P. Hill on the morning of May 6. Hancock believed a unique opportunity to crush Lee had been wasted and never excused Gibbon for failing to comply with orders.​
A few days after the Reams Station fiasco, Gibbon discussed the condition of the Second Corps with Hancock. That evening Gibbon wrote a note to Hancock suggesting that the corps needed to be reorganized and, if necessary, Gibbon would yield his division for consolidation for the good of the corps. Hancock's reply was that perhaps Gibbon should resign the command of his division for the good of the service.​
Gibbon at once sent a request to Hancock to be relieved of command. Shortly thereafter Gibbon was summoned to corps headquarters where he met Hancock. The meeting was short and did not resolve the situation; rather, it put a further strain on their relationship. Later, Gibbon was once again summoned to meet with Hancock, who was reported to be in a much better mood. After a lengthy discussion Hancock removed the letter suggesting that Gibbon give up his command, and Gibbon withdrew his request to another assignment. He later recalled how Hancock "stuck the note in the candle, set it on fire, threw it in the fireplace and we parted on tolerably good terms, but there was a soreness of feeling remaining on both sides which never entirely disappeared."​
 
Iron Brigade General: John Gibbon, A Rebel in Blue by Mark H. Jordan and Dennis Lavery

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This long overdue, full-length biography of John Gibbon tells about one of the the Civil War's best combat leaders. This story of a rebel officer describes how a distinguished general served in all the major campaigns of the Civil War and later on the western frontier. Based on extensive research into family records and other original sources, this readable narrative should be of interest to historians and buffs alike who seek a vital new personal account about war and military service in the nineteenth century.

This biography about Brigadier General John Gibbon covers his lifetime from 1827 to 1896. It focuses, of course, on his military career spanning the years from the end of the Mexican War, through the Civil War, and through efforts to keep the peace with the Seminole in Florida and the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Nez Perce on the western frontier, and thereafter. The biography describes life in America in some detail throughout most of the nineteenth century and defines what military training and service required at West Point and in peace and wartime. Extensive note materials and bibliographical references enrich this interesting study.



Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
The relationship between Gibbon and Winfield Scott Hancock became strained during the Overland Campaign and almost reached a breaking point following Ream's Station. I've attached a link to a brief biography that explains the situation. The significant passages follow. http://www.gdg.org/Discussions/wright.html
The battle of Reams Station was also significant in that it furthered the already tenuous relationship between Hancock and Gibbon, a rift that had been festering since the battle of The Wilderness. At that action, according to some sources, Hancock had been angered by Gibbon's failure to attack A. P. Hill on the morning of May 6. Hancock believed a unique opportunity to crush Lee had been wasted and never excused Gibbon for failing to comply with orders.​
A few days after the Reams Station fiasco, Gibbon discussed the condition of the Second Corps with Hancock. That evening Gibbon wrote a note to Hancock suggesting that the corps needed to be reorganized and, if necessary, Gibbon would yield his division for consolidation for the good of the corps. Hancock's reply was that perhaps Gibbon should resign the command of his division for the good of the service.​
Gibbon at once sent a request to Hancock to be relieved of command. Shortly thereafter Gibbon was summoned to corps headquarters where he met Hancock. The meeting was short and did not resolve the situation; rather, it put a further strain on their relationship. Later, Gibbon was once again summoned to meet with Hancock, who was reported to be in a much better mood. After a lengthy discussion Hancock removed the letter suggesting that Gibbon give up his command, and Gibbon withdrew his request to another assignment. He later recalled how Hancock "stuck the note in the candle, set it on fire, threw it in the fireplace and we parted on tolerably good terms, but there was a soreness of feeling remaining on both sides which never entirely disappeared."​
To elaborate further on the controversy between Hancock & Gibbon over the Wilderness, it's not really about A. P. Hill but rather Longstreet and about whether or not Hancock issued an order that Gibbon then did not follow. The Union command was well aware that Longstreet would be putting in an appearance at some point, and Hancock had essentially detached his left wing under Gibbon to watch the flank on the Brock Road. As Hancock's attack progressed successfully but then ran into his first encounter with Longstreet and entered deadlock, Hancock, by his version, told Gibbon to send Barlow's entire division forward. Gibbon swore that he only received an order to send forward one brigade (Frank's), which he promptly did. Barlow backed up Gibbon's version, further stating that Hancock was close at hand at the time and could hardly have failed to notice if the order hadn't been obeyed. One of Hancock's aides (W. D. W. Miller) agreed with Hancock's version. The only surviving dispatch we have is from 7:10 a.m. from Hancock to headquarters, stating that Barlow was sending in a brigade and that Hancock would follow it up if necessary, and had so ordered.


In addition to Gibbon's own memoir, where he discusses this at length, this is discussed in Gordon Rhea's book on the Wilderness and David Jordan's biography of Hancock, which are the three main sources I'm drawing on here. Rhea classes this as a mystery, since the documentary record doesn't decide the matter one way or another. Jordan openly sides with Hancock's version; he seems to essentially read Hancock's later feuding with Gibbon, which your post described, backwards and concluded it originated at the Wilderness.

I'm not as sure as Jordan here, because as far as I can tell, Hancock never made any such claim about Gibbon's actions at the Wilderness until the report he wrote nine months later. If Jordan's right about the origins of their bickering, this could still make sense, but if this doesn't actually start until later, then the more likely narrative would seem to be that Hancock's more recent relationship breakdown with Gibbon colored the report he wrote, where it would be only natural for Hancock to want to explain away Longstreet's success against him.

I'm inclined to give Gibbon the benefit of the doubt here. Barlow is the closest thing to a neutral party who commented on this, and he backed Gibbon's version. Additionally, if Gibbon had failed to obey orders, not bringing it up until nine months later in a report seems passive for Hancock.
 
** Hancock was an arrogant but magnificent leader of men whose impact was felt at the close of the 1st day at Gettysburg rallying troops, sending the Iron Brigade to Culps Hill and Steven's Battery to the knoll (so named) plus Geary's 12th Corps division to the left at or near Little Round Top. He essentially read the entire terrain making decisions immediately upon arrival to Cemetery Hill. Quite an eye! Day-2 he was again everywhere, like Meade, directing men and inspiring. Apart from the men who never get enough credit, he was the savior (MVP?) of Gettysburg with his no-fear hands on approach and profound understanding of the overall........at a glance!
** Gibbon was one of the first individuals us young guides came to admire because of his association with the Iron Brigade once learning how they fought at Gettysburg and before, and Gibbon's management of his sector on the 2nd Corps line.

Hard imagining these two couldn't figure it out.
 
While Hancock was normally a very winning and charismatic fellow, he was also a bit of a hothead and his shaky health and the stresses of the Overland Campaign did his mood no favors; Gibbon was not the only subordinate he was openly finding fault with during 1864. Gibbon himself also had a nasty temper and a healthy professional ego and was never inclined to be conciliatory.
It's a shame, since they had worked well together in the past and were two of the absolute best combat leaders in the Army of the Potomac.
 
No bigger fan of Hancock than I am probably, however I believe he did have a reputation as a hothead. There is the story about him placing Sherill under arrest after Willard was killed on July 2. If I remember the story correctly, much later in a conversation with Hays, who had been his bunky at West Point, Hancock mentions that he should apologize to Sherrill for placing him under arrest. Hays then remarks something to the effect, "That's the trouble with your apologies Hancock, they come too late. He already dead.". If the story is accurate it would seem to indicate a deserved reputation as a hothead.

John
 
In A. Wilson Greene's first volume on Petersburg, he seems to point towards the origins of a Hancock-Gibbon feud (or at least, it's the first point in the time covered in Greene's narrative that the subject comes up) going to First Deep Bottom. Hancock issued an order to Gibbon to prepare to move, and later stated that it was an order to move immediately. Gibbon indignantly denied it, and Hancock's staff, on this occasion, sided with Gibbon's interpretation of the order. My initial guess is that, being generous to Hancock's original intent perhaps being what he said it was, it was an inelegantly phrased order and Hancock, being Hancock, was incapable of backing down once he'd made an issue of it.
 
Gibbon is a personal favorite of mine when it comes to Union generals. One of the few senior Tarheels to go north. The guy made the Iron Brigade what it was, and was among the best division commanders of the war.
I agree! My favorite as well.
 
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