The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-02-07

noon. His death was caused by pnen-
rnonla. which attacked him last Sunday
night Just ~ he was about 20 start TOT
Milwaukee TO attend q reunion OF the
Loyal Legion He Was unconscious before
his DEATH ->s
Gen. Gibbons Brilliant Record.
John Gibbon was born near HoImesburg.
Pa, April 20. fsz7. He was appointed 70 ths
United States military academy from
North Carolina, and on Dis EfaauAsoh >.
1sf7 Was assigned to the arnileFy, ana
served al the CITY Of Mexico and Toluca
tili the close of the Mexican war, as see
ond lieutenant of the Fourth artillery.
From this time TIL the civil war ne was
largely on frontier garrison duty. put was
assigned instructor OF aTtiiery at west
Point In lss4-57, and auartermaster there
In is5s-5s. He took part In the war against
the Seminoies On November :. lszs. ne
became captain IN the Fourth artillery.
He Was chief OF artillery OF Gen. Mellow
ellis division from October p 1881. TIL May
2 iSsa and at the latter date was made
brfgadier general of volunteers. He COM
manded a brigade through the Northern
virginia Maryland, Rappahannock and
pennsyiyanla campaigns in lsx2-s3 recefy-
ing the brevet OF major In the regular
army September t. fsg2. for Antietam:
lieutenant colonel, December H. tss2. for
Fredericksburg, where he commanded
division, was wounded and disabled for
three months: and colonel July 4. 1853 for
Gettysburg, where be was severely wound
ed while in command OF the Second army
corps At the battle OF South Mountain.
September IS. 1852 Gen. Gibbon command
ed a brigade OF Gen. Hatchs dfyision.
which brigade took part In desperate fght-
ing until o'clock at night. exhausting
their ammunition and suffering heavy
loss but driving back the enemy. Gen
In he sat Of he. aa,fft
Fredericksburg. December Il. 1862 when
he came to the relief of Gen. Meade. who
was sore pressed by Gen Earlys forces
Gen Gfbbon was wounded and carried of
the field. He took part I'm the fighting
at Charlottesville. where Stonewall
Jackson was killed.
Gen. Gibbon at Gettysburg.
II was at Gettysburg that Gen. Gibbon
gained his greatest fame. He commanded
division OF the Second tHancock' - corps
OF Gen. Meade's army, and succeeded In
the command when Hancock was wounded
at the rebel attack on Cemetery Hill, July
3, 1854. Whitelaw Reid. writing TO the Gin
cinnnau Gazette from the battlefield, thus
described Gen. Gibbons victory:
''The great. desperate. final charge came
al l. The rebels seemed to have gathered
Up all their strength and desperation for
one fierce. conclusive effort, that should
sweep over and wash out our obstinate
resistance. They swept up as before: the
flower OF their army 10 the front. victory
staked upon the issue. In some places
they literally lifted up and pushed back our
lines; but. that terrible position OF ours!
wherever they entered IL. enfiiading fires
from half a score OF crests swept away
their columns Ike merest chaff. Broken
and hurled back. they easily fell into our
hands. and, on the center and left, the last
half-hour brought more prisoners than all
the rest.
so IL was along the whole line; but Il
was on the Second corps that the flower of
the rebel army was concentrated; IL was
there that the heaviest shock beat upon,
and shook. and even sometimes crumbled.
our line.
I'VE had some shallow rifle pits. with
barbados of rails from the fences. The
rebel line. stretching away miles TO the left.
In magnificent array. but strongest here
Pickett's splendid division OF Longstreets
corps In front. the best OF A. =. Hills vet
Grams In suppoft--came steadily. and as II
seemed. resistlessy, sweeping up. Our
skirmiahers retired slowly from the En-
mitsburg road. holding their ground tena-
eiousiy to the last. The rebels reserved
their fire Till they reached this same En-
mitsburg road. then opened with a terrific
crash. From hundred iron thrcats. mean
time. their artillery had been laundering
on our barricades.
Hancock was wounded: Gibbon sue
ceeded to the command-approved soldier.
and ready for the crisis. As the tempest OF
fire approached its height he walked along
the line. and renewed his orders TO the men
10 reserve their fire. The rebels~-three
lines deep-cane steadily up. They were
In point-blank range.
Al last, the order camai From thrice
Geo guns, there came a sheet of smoky
flame. crash. a rush OF leaden death. The
line literally melted away; but there came
the second. resistless stii IT bad been our
supreme e;fort-on the instant. we werc
not equal TO another.
up to the rife pits. across them. over
the harricades-ths momentum OF their
charge. the mere machine strength of their
combined action-swept them on. Our thin
line could fight. bat II had not weight
enough 70 oppose to this momentum. IL
was pushed behind the guns. Right on
came the rebels. They were upon the guns
were hayoneting the gunners-were way-
ing their flags above our pieces.
"3ut they had penetrated 20 the fatal
point. A storm OF grape and canister tore
its way from man 10 man. and marked its
track with corpses straight down their linei
They had exposed themselves to the en-
filsdlng fre OF the guns on the western
slope OF Cemetery bill; that exposure sealed
their fate.
'~rhe line reeled hack-dlsiointei already
In an instant in fragments. our men
were Just behind the guns They leaped
forward upon the discriered mass: but
there was little need for lighting now. A
regiment threw down its arms and. with
coiOrs at its head rushed ever and surren-
dered. All along the 'ield. smaller detach-
ments dii the same. weAb's brigade
brought In SO; taken In a. little time as IL
requires 10 write the smpie sentence that
tells a. Gibbons old division took ufteen
stand OF eolors.
"Over the acids. the escaped fragments
OF the charging line fell hack-the battle
there was over. A single brigade. Har-
paro. came cat with hfty-four less officers.
rs less men. than II took I'M 50 the whole
corps fousht-so. too. they fought farther
Down the hne.
1T was frustieSs sacrifice. They gathered
up their broken fragments. formed their
lines ana slowly marched away. 1t was
not a rout, 70 was a bitter. crushing defeat.
For once. the Array OF the Potomac had
won clean. honest. acknowledged vie
tory"
This was the decisive battle OF the war.
and IL broke the backbone Of the coased-
sracy.
Gen. sihhon was SO severely wounded as
20 be dlssa bied until November Il when he
teok command OF the draft depot at Phiia-
aelnha until Msrcs q. tSkA lie WAS then
assigned 10 division ~ the Second corps.
becoming major general Of volunteers
On June = iSS& and being engaged fn this
desperate fighFing IA the Wilderness. Sp0tt.
svsVausa and Cold Hzrhor. with tssn. Han
cock In the grand assault Al Cold liar.
Dor. June 8 iS&s Gen. CibhoH. chargsng
on Gen. Bariows right. Was checked by =
swamp which separated his command. a
part OF which gained the rebel works nsyer'