The Washington times., 1913-07-26
GENERAL GIBSON, 96,
WOULD FIGHT AGAIN
Veteran Warrior Declares U. S.
Should Intervene and End
Strife in Mexico.


The United States should intervene in
Mexico at once and send an army
across the Rio Grande large enough to
force: the wafring factions into s,ibmis.
sion and restore peace In that troubled
country. This Is the view emphatically
expressed by Brig. Gen. Horatio Gates
Gibson, retired. former commandant at
Washington Barracks, who, though
elghty-six years old, and a veteran of
the Mexican and civil wars, says he Is
ready to join an army of invasion or
pacifcation into Mexico.
''If Intervention were decided upon"
he said at his home, 1l12 Twenty-first
street northwest, 'T should ask to be
assigned to such duty as the President
might deem Rroper.' 49,. -.
United States should have interviewed
long ago. This view. he said, was
shared by all the army officers to whom
he had talked, and he knew II would
be the uDanimous opinion Of all the
survivors Of the Mexican campaign OF
1876 to 1873
Fears Foreign Powers.
What worries me-" he added, is
that some of the big foreign powers
might interfere and make Il ugly for
US unless we do something soon"
How large an army would be re-
Quired in Mexicor'
"No larger than the army Scott and
Taylor had" he replied. Not more than
20. 600 American troops were in Mexico
in the Mexican war. Scott had only
10000 at Vera Cruz. And there isn't
q, ieader In Mexico today who can COM
pare with General Santa Anna. who led
the forces against Scott
How long would It take to restore
order In Mexico7"
and Taylor, and that was little more
General Gibson then led the converse
ton ffto more peaceful channels And
recalled some Of the great changes in
official and social Washington since he
was appointed as a cadet at West Point
willie living IN Washington in February,
1s45. Until he retired N Issi while serS.
ing as comrnandant at Washington
Barracks.
Farms Above ! Street.
When I first came to Washington,
he said. there was nothing but farms
above I street I walked miles over
streets that were paved in preparation
for future city. but without any build
ings bordering the walks. There was
creek on Connecticut avenue as far
down an L street
The only public buildings then were
the Capitol, not the magnificent struc-
ture OF today, however; the Treasury,
the Patent Ofhce. the Postmaster Cen
erals Office, the White House. the War
and Navy Depar rtments. which occupied
Site and the State Department. which
was In building on the PENNSYLVANIA
avenue side of the Treasury
The best residential section was F
street, from the Treasury to the Patent
Office. Everybody who was anybody
lived along that street. / then lived in
building on. the present side of the
Ardmore Hotel, at 515 Thirteenth street.
The population of Washington at that
time was about 25,o09''
Record As Soldier.
General Gibson received his commits
sion at West Point from John c. spen-
Ger, who was Secretary OF War during
Tyier's Administration. This was Just a
year after Secretary Spencer's son, a
in the navy, had been
hanged for mutiny at sea by Captain
Mckenzie. and Washington stIlI was
violently excited by the tragedy. A
year after his entrance to West Point
occurred the tragic explosion Of a gun
on the naval boat Princeton In the Po-
tomac river below Washington when
several members of the then official
family were killed. These events made
a deep impression on the young cadet.
General Gibson was plunged into ac-
ton Immediately after leaving West
Point. As young lieutenant he served
during the Mexican war and took part
In several Of the historic engagements
Then he went to California around the
Horn, and he alternated between duty
In California and Washington until the
opening OF the civil war. He was or
dered back TO Washington after the
battle of Bull Run and was here until
1865 with the Army of the Potomac as a
captain. In 1868 he was sent to the army
Of the Ohio as a colonel and subse-
Iuentiy was advanced TO the grade of
brigadier general. He was in command
OF 1000 men at Knoxville, Tenn. when
the war closed.
Served At Many Posts.
At the close OF the war General Glib
sen had a varied service He was sue
cessively commandant at Jefferson Bar
racks, 81. Louis; Fort Preble, Me-; Fort
Fla: Fort Wardsworth, ".
Y: Fort McHenry. Baltimore; st. Au-
gustine. Fla. and Washington Barracks.
While serving at Washington Barracks
In 1881 General Gibson reached the age
Of retirement. He has since maintained
his home in this city
General Gibson went through the
and civil wars unscathed only
to reSelve serious wounds in an indian
engagement in Oregon in the years in
tervening between-the two wars.
And now at eighty-six he has the an
pearance Of sixty. and though retIred
rom active service at the age Of sirry-
our. when he was still capable of many
Years OF usefulness In the army. he is |