James Isham Gilbert (1823–1884) was a

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

general during 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 ...

. He served with distinction in the Western theaters of the war as a regimental and brigade commander.

Biography

Early life

James Gilbert was born in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, on July 16, 1823. He moved to Illinois and then to Wisconsin where he worked as a lumberman, Indian trader and liveryman. He finally settled in Iowa in 1851 where he helped found the town of

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

Little Rock & Meridian

Gilbert joined the volunteer army later than many of his contemporaries, enlisting in October 1862. Nevertheless, he was appointed colonel of the 27th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment on October 3, 1862. Gilbert's regiment participated in

Frederick Steele Frederick Steele (January 14, 1819 – January 12, 1868) was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was most noted for retaking much of secessionist Arka ...

's Little Rock Expedition but was not involved in any fighting. He was posted to garrison duty in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

and then transferred to

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

where his regiment was attached to Andrew J. Smith's division in the XVI Corps during the

Meridian expedition The Meridian campaign or Meridian expedition took place from February 3 – March 6, 1864, from Vicksburg, Mississippi to Meridian, Mississippi, by the Union Army of the Tennessee, led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman captured Me ...

Red River & Tupelo

Gilbert and a detachment of the XVI Corps (known as the Right Wing-XVI Corps commanded by Smith) were transferred to the

Department of the Gulf The Department of the Gulf was a command of the United States Army in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. History United States Army (Civil War) Creation The department was co ...

under

Nathaniel P. Banks Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker by background, Banks was prominent in local debating societies, ...

for the Red River Campaign. Gilbert won the commendation of his brigade commander, Colonel William T. Shaw, for his performance at the battles of Fort De Russy and Pleasant Hill. At Pleasant Hill, Gilbert was wounded in the right hand. In June, 1864 Gilbert assumed command of the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XVI Corps and led it at the

battle of Tupelo The Battle of Tupelo, also known as the Engagement at Harrisburg, was a battle of the American Civil War fought from July 14 to 15, 1864, near Tupelo, Mississippi. The Union victory over Confederate forces in northeast Mississippi ensured t ...

. He briefly relinquished brigade command in late September but returned to command to take part in A.J. Smith's pursuit of Sterling Price through

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

Nashville & Mobile

On December 5, 1864 Gilbert was transferred to command of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division in Smith's detachment of the Army of the Tennessee (formerly XVI Corps) at the

battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1 ...

. There, Gilbert's brigade took part in the Union assault on Shy's Hill the second day of the battle. On February 9, 1865 Gilbert was promoted to brigadier general of U.S. volunteers. Smith's corps was officially re-designated XVI Corps and transferred to

Edward Canby Edward Richard Sprigg Canby (November 9, 1817 – April 11, 1873) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. In 1861–1862, Canby commanded the Department of New Mexico, defeating the Confederate Gene ...

Army of West Mississippi The Army of West Mississippi was a Union army that served in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was virtually the same force as the Army of the Gulf, but was renamed when it became a part of the Military Division of West Mississip ...

outside

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

. Gilbert continued in command of his brigade and took part in the

battle of Fort Blakely The Battle of Fort Blakeley took place from April 2 to April 9, 1865, in Baldwin County, Alabama, about north of Spanish Fort, Alabama, as part of the Mobile Campaign of the American Civil War. At the time, Blakeley, Alabama, had been the co ...

. For his service in the Mobile campaign he was brevetted to Major General of U.S. volunteers backdated to March 26, 1865.Eicher p.254 Gilbert was mustered out of volunteers on August 24, 1865.

Later life

After the war Gilbert returned to Iowa and continued his career as a lumberman. For a time he went to Colorado as a miner then moved to Kansas to become president of the Topeka Coal Economizing Company. General Gilbert died on February 9, 1884 in Topeka, Kansas. He is buried at

Aspen Grove Cemetery Aspen Grove Cemetery is a cemetery in Burlington, Iowa. History Aspen Grove Cemetery was established in 1843. The Aspen Grove Cemetery Association was approved by the Legislature of the Iowa Territory in December 1843 and they first met on Janua ...

in Burlington, Iowa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, James Isham 1823 births 1884 deaths Union Army generals Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky