Horatio Gates Gibson (May 22, 1827 – April 18, 1924) was a career

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, and

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In 1866, he was nominated and confirmed for appointment as a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865.

Biography

Born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Gibson attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

, and graduated seventeenth in the Class of 1847. Commissioned into the

3rd Regiment of Artillery The 3rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army, first formed in 1821 as the 3rd Regiment of Artillery. History Constituted 1 June 1821 in the Regular Army as the 3rd Regiment of Artillery and ...

, he rose slowly through the peacetime army, eventually earning his

captaincy A captaincy ( es, capitanía , pt, capitania , hr, kapetanija) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule ...

at the outbreak of the Civil War. During the war, he commanded Battery C,

3rd U.S. Artillery The 3rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an Air Defense Artillery Branch, air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army, first formed in 1821 as the 3rd Regiment of Artillery. History Constituted 1 June 1821 in the Regular Army (Unite ...

, and was part of the famed

U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade The Horse Artillery Brigade of the Army of the Potomac was a brigade of various batteries of horse artillery during the American Civil War. Made up almost entirely of individual, company-strength batteries from the Regular Army's five artillery ...

in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

. Cited for gallantry, he was awarded brevet (honorary) promotions to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

(May 5, 1862, for actions at

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

) and

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

(September 17, 1862, for actions at Antietam). By 1863, he accepted a commission in the U.S. Volunteers and commanded the 2nd Ohio Artillery as a lieutenant colonel and

. At the end of the war, Gibson was awarded a brevet appointment as colonel in the Regular Army. On January 13, 1866,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

nominated Gibson for appointment to the grade of

of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. Mustering out of the volunteers in August 1865, Gibson returned to his permanent rank of captain in the 3rd Artillery in the regular army. He remained in the army, and was promoted to major in 1867, lieutenant colonel in 1882, and colonel in 1883. He retired from the service on May 22, 1891. Following an act of Congress on April 23, 1904, Gibson was promoted one grade from colonel to the rank of brigadier general on the retired list, due to his service in the Civil War and more than forty years in the United States Army. Gibson died on April 18, 1924. ''Time'' Magazine's obituary of him (Monday, April 28, 1924) cited the following:

Died. Brigadier General Horatio Gates Gibson, 97, "oldest living West Pointer"; in Washington. He entered just as Ulysses S. Grant graduated. Due to his slight stature, he was nicknamed "Agnes"—an appellation which clung to him through life. When he was a lieutenant at the battle of Fredericksburg, his sword was cut from his side by a shell; at the end of the Civil War he was a captain in the regulars. A nonagenarian at his daughter's house in Washington, he smoked from six to ten cigars daily.

Notes

References

* Birkhimer, Lt. William E.
''The Third Regiment of Artillery''
* Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Heitman, Francis B. ''Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789 to March 2, 1903''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903. * ''Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy''. West Point, NY: West Point Alumni Foundation, Inc., 1970.
''Time'' Magazine
Time-Warner. * U.S. War Department. ''The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1894.

External links

''American Memory: Selected Civil War Photographs''
Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. Washington, D.C. *. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Horatio Gates Union Army colonels United States Army officers People of Maryland in the American Civil War United States Military Academy alumni American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Members of the Aztec Club of 1847 1827 births 1924 deaths

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links