Maj. Gen. John Gibbon

[jkBluesman]

Maj. Gen. John Gibbon (b. 1827, d. 1896). Although a strict disciplinarian, Gibbon did not contempt volunteers but inspired them and managed to turn them into valuable soldiers. Born in Holmesburg (now a part of Philadelphia), Pennsylvania he grew up in North Carolina. He graduated from West Point in 1847 after repeating one year and served as artillery officer in the Mexican-American War before returning in 1854 to the United States Military Academy as artillery instructor. At West Point he wrote “The Artillerist’s Manual” in 1859, which would be used by both sides in the Civil War. The next year he was assigned to command Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery in the Utah Territory. In the sectional crisis following Abraham Lincoln’s election as president, a court of inquiry investigated Gibbon’s loyalty to the Union. He remained in the army even when North Carolina seceded on May 20, 1861, but his three brothers would fight for the South. Gibbon went with his battery to Washington D.C., where he was made chief of artillery in Gen. Irvin McDowell’s division in October 1861. The next year McDowell supported Gibbon’s plea for promotion to brigadier general. But only with the help of the political influential Gen. James Wadsworth did the Southerner get the promotion. In May 1862 Gibbon was given a brigade made up by regiments from the West: the 2nd, 6th and 7th Wisconsin plus the 19th Indiana. One of the first changes he made was to order new uniforms for his men including black Hardee hats. The brigade was after that known as the “Black Hat Brigade” and earned its first glory at Brawner Farm in fall, the day before Second Bull Run. In the ensuing Maryland campaign Gibbon’s men earned the name “Iron Brigade” for their stubborn fighting at South Mountain (September 14). Three days later Gibbon led the brigade for the last time. At Antietam it lost 42 percent of its men in the fighting at “the Cornfield”. Gibbon was given a division after the campaign and led it in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December, in which he was wounded. Returning in time for the fighting at Chancellorsville in May 1863, Gibbon’s division was used as reserve force for Gen. John Sedgewick’s corps that took Fredericksburg but was repulsed before it could re-unite with the main army. Gibbon saw more action in July at Gettysburg. His division was positioned behind a stone wall from which it repulsed the famous “Pickett’s Charge” on the last day of the battle. “The coolness of their General was reflected in the faces of his men”, noted Frank Haskell, Gibbon’s aide-de-camp. Gibbon received his second wound of the war in the fight but recovered in time for the Overland campaign of 1864. He fought in all major battles of the campaign but together with the declining troop morale the friendship between Gibbon and his corps commander Gen. Winfield S. Hancock disintegrated. Gibbon was promoted to major general of volunteers in June, but when most of his men refused to fight at Ream’s Station on August 25, he took a leave of absence. Gibbon returned to the army at the end of the year as commander of the XXIV corps in the Army of the James. In that capacity he served through the last stages of the siege of Petersburg and the Appomattox campaign. After the Army of Northern Virginia’s surrender on April 9, Gibbon became one of the surrender commissioners. After the war, he stayed in the army as colonel and became involved in the Indian Wars. It was his column that found the dead and survivors of Gen. George Custer’s defeat at Little Big Horn in 1876. One year later he could not stop Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce on their way to Canada. In 1885, Gibbon was promoted to brigadier general and commanded the Military District of the Pacific until his retirement. He died on February 6, 1896 in Baltimore, Maryland and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Ldr: 6
Tact: 4
Init: 2
Cmd: 4
Cav: 0

Teaches: Disciplined (2), Dreaded or Heroes, Hardy

[Gil R.]

Copied, thanks.

[Gil R.]

Here's Gibbon, with hardly any changes. I wanted to include him in the upcoming patch because Eric has programmed ten new special abilities, and I'm trying to find generals who match them. For Brawner's Farm I think he deserves "Tenacious."


Maj. Gen. John Gibbon (b. 1827, d. 1896). Although a strict disciplinarian, Gibbon did not condemn volunteers but inspired them and managed to turn them into valuable soldiers. Born in Holmesburg, Pennsylvania (now a part of Philadelphia), he grew up in North Carolina. He graduated from West Point in 1847 after repeating one year and served as artillery officer in the Mexican-American War before returning there in 1854 as artillery instructor. At West Point he wrote “The Artillerist’s Manual” in 1859, which would be used by both sides in the Civil War. The next year he was assigned to command Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery in the Utah Territory. In the sectional crisis following Abraham Lincoln’s election as president, a court of inquiry investigated Gibbon’s loyalty to the Union. He remained in the army even when North Carolina seceded on May 20, 1861, but his three brothers would fight for the South. Gibbon went with his battery to Washington, D.C., where he was made chief of artillery in Gen. Irwin McDowell’s division in October 1861. Though McDowell supported Gibbon’s plea for promotion to brigadier general, only with the help of the politically influential Gen. James Wadsworth did the Southerner get a promotion. On May 2, 1862 Gibbon was given a brigade made up by regiments from the West: the 2nd, 6th and 7th Wisconsin, plus the 19th Indiana. One of the first changes he made was to order new uniforms for his men, including black Hardee hats. The brigade was after that known as the “Black Hat Brigade” and earned its first glory at Brawner Farm on August 28, the day before Second Bull Run. In the ensuing Maryland Campaign Gibbon’s men earned the name “Iron Brigade” for their stubborn fighting at South Mountain (September 14). Three days later Gibbon led the brigade for the last time at Antietam, where it lost 42% of its men in the fighting at “the Cornfield.” Gibbon was given a division after the campaign and led it in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December, in which he was wounded. Returning in time for the fighting at Chancellorsville in May 1863, Gibbon’s division was used as a reserve force for Gen. John Sedgewick’s corps, which took Fredericksburg but was repulsed before it could re-unite with the main army to the west. Gibbon saw considerably more action that July at Gettysburg, where his division was positioned behind a stone wall from which it repulsed the famous “Pickett’s Charge” on the last day of the battle. “The coolness of their General was reflected in the faces of his men,” noted Frank Haskell, Gibbon’s aide-de-camp. Gibbon received his second wound of the war in the fight but recovered in time for the Overland Campaign of 1864. He fought in all major battles, but together with the declining troop morale the friendship between Gibbon and his corps commander Gen. Winfield S. Hancock disintegrated. Gibbon was promoted to major general of volunteers in June, but when most of his men refused to fight at Ream’s Station on August 25, he took a leave of absence. Gibbon returned to the army at the end of the year as commander of the XXIV Corps in the Army of the James. In that capacity he served through the last stages of the Siege of Petersburg and the Appomattox Campaign. When the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered on April 9, Gibbon became one of the surrender commissioners. After the war, he stayed in the army as colonel and was involved in the Indian Wars. It was his column that found the dead and survivors of Gen. George A. Custer’s defeat at Little Big Horn in 1876. One year later he could not stop Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce on their way to Canada. In 1885, Gibbon was promoted to brigadier general, and he commanded the Military District of the Pacific until his retirement. Gibbon died on February 6, 1896 in Baltimore, Maryland and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. (Bio by Joern Kaesebier)

Ldr: 6
Tact: 4
Init: 2
Cmd: 4
Cav: 0

Start date: 32

Teaches: Disciplined (2), Dreaded (21), Hardy (5), Tenacious (31)

Also, I'm making him a 25-percenter.