The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-08
GENERAL GIBBoN IN SEATTLE.
His Distinguished Record-story OF the
Anti Chinese Riots Here.

GENERAL GIBBoN IN SEATTLE.
His Distinguished Record-story Of the
Anti Chinese Riots Here.
General John Gibbon, who has recently re-
tired from active service in the United States
army, who was stopping at the Rainier
hotel on his way to Alaska on Wednesday
and Thursday, has a brilliant military
record. Born at Holmesburg, Pa, IN 1877, he
was graduated from West Point at the age of 90
and assigned to the artillery. Till the close of
the Mexican war he served at the City OF Mexico
and at Toluca and from that time to the OPEN
ing OF the civil war he was largely on frontier
and garrison duty. This work was broken by
term from 1854 to 1857 as assistant instructor of
artillery at West Point, and quartermaster there
from 1856 to 1859. In November OF the latter
year he became captain in the Fourth artillery.
lie was chief OF artillery OF General McDowell's
division from October 20, 1861, till May 2,
1862, and at the latter date he was made
brigadier general of volunteers. Through the
Northern Virginia, Maryland, Rappahannock
and Pennsylvenia campaigns in 1923 he CON-
lnanded brigade, receiving the brevets of major
in the regular army September IL, 1862, for An
tietam; and lieutenant colonel December Ii,
1862, for Fredericksburg, where he commanded q
division, was wounded and disabled for three
months. On July A. 1863, while he was in COM
mand of the Second army corps he was severely
wounded; for service on that day he was
breveted colonel in the regular army. The in
jury of that battle kept him from service until
November 10, when he was put in charge of the
draft depot at Philadelphia. In March of the
the second corps, becoming a major general of
volunteers in June, 1854 He was engaged at
the Wilderness, Spottsyloamia and Cold Har-
Dor. After January l5, 1865, he commanded the
Twenty-fourth army corps and was before
Petersburg from June Is, 1864, till April 2, 1865,
taking part in the assaults OF the last two days
and earring two redoubts. He was breveted
brigadier general and maior general of the
regular army to date from March Is, 1865, and he
was one of the commissioners to carry into effect
the stipulations of Lees surrender. He was
mustered ont of volunteer service January Is,
1856, and since the war he has commanded vari-
GUS posts as colonel of the Thirty-sixth in
fantry in 1861 and of the Seventh infantry
from 1869 to 1856. In 1873 he was superintend-
ent of the general recruiting service In New
York city. In Indian fighting he saw severe
service, for in 1876 he had charge of the Yellow
stone expedition against Sitting Bull, and on
August 9, 1877, he commanded in the action
with the Nez Perces Indians at Big Hole Pass,
Mont where he was wounded. He temporarily
commanded the department of Dakota in 1873,
and after July %, 1885, he was over the depart
ment of the Columbia. In this capacity he be-
came well known in Seattle, where he came in
1856 by order of the president to quell the riot
against the Chinese.
In July, 1886, he was promoted to brlgadier
general. More than thirty years ago he pub
lished "The Artillerist's Manual" and he has
contributed a number of articles TO current lit
erature, including one on sour Indian Cues
tion,' in the journal of the military service in
stitution, for which prize medal was awarded
him.
number of interesting stories are told of
General Gibbon's course in Seattle during the
riots. Mr.. Samuel l.. Crawford. in speaking of
the matter, said last night: "The city was then
under martial law, and General Gibbon was
supreme. tits hardly necessary 10 say that he
allowed no trifing.
"I remember that in the melee a man named
Stewart was killed and half dozen others were
wounded. looked up the cases of all of them
for the PosT-INTELLIGENcER, and found that not
a single man out of the whole lot was a citizen
or had paid dollar of taxes.
swell, the agitators were preparing a big
demonstration for the funeral of Stewart They
had sent for eight horses and a lot of plumes
and they were getting up big transparencies TO
carry in the funeral procession. General Gibbon
did not take kindly to the idea OF any such
demonstration and so the day before Stewards
funeral ne sent for the dead mans brother and
said: WAS your brother prominent in the city
government
"fNo'
"'Was ne leader in politics?
"'No'
".was he one of the more important business
menT
"'No'
"'Had he been active in many social organi-
cations?
"fN0'
"'Was he rich?'
"'No'
"'Was he large landed proprietor
"'No'
ha a graat
"No
"'Then | suppose that since your brother was
man of no special consequence aquet funeral
will be the best thing You will wAnt-let me
sea conveyance for yourself and the clergy
mana one-horse buggy viii do very well
Thea, for the bearers two-horse carriage will
answer nicely; and, of course, for tho body
hearse Two horses will be enough for that
You needn't bother to have them both
white or both black, aud plumes will
be quite supsriuoas. Then, too, there is
the matter Of tTansparencies. Since there win
lie no procession to speak of, no transparencies
need be carried. III short, want YOU TO give
your brother quiet, Christian burial I'm not
al all particular 10 which clergyman YOU
choose. You said the hour for the funeral was
= O'Clock in the afternoon, did you not? Well,
il seems to me that 9 in the morning is much
better. so you can have II quietly them
And added Mr.. Crawford, "the word of
General Gibbon law. There was q one
horse buggy for the brother and the clergyman:
q bay and gray drew the hearse; there were no
trAuspareacies, no plumes, and the hour was 9
in the morning"