page_title: William Harvey Gibson
section_title: Civil War General, Commander of the Union Army's 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry
hierarchical_section_title: William Harvey Gibson / Civil War General, Commander of the Union Army's 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry
caption_attribution_description: English: a civil war soldier named William H. Gibson with horse later shot from under him.
context_page_description: Brigadier General William Harvey Gibson was a Republican politician from Ohio. He resigned from the Ohio State Treasurer's office in disgrace and redeemed his reputation in war. He was brevetted Brigadier General of the Union Army's 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War.
context_section_description: On July 25, 1861, Gibson had a large recruiting poster printed:
  TO ARMS! TO ARMS!
  Rally to our flag! Rush to the Field!
  Are we cowards that must yield to traitors? Are we worthy sons of heroic sires? Let us march, as our forefathers marched, to defend the only democratic Republic on earth!
  Impelled by the events of the past week, and assured from Washington that a regiment will be accepted, if enrolled and tendered, I have resolved to organize THE BUCKEYE GUARDS, in northern Ohio.
  
  Let us as patriotic citizens, of adjoining counties, form a regiment that shall be an honor to the State, the exploits of which, in defense of constitutional liberty, shall be recounted with pride by ourselves and our children. The command of the heroic Steedman was organized in this way, and now, at the close of three months' service, they return crowned with glory, to receive the homage of a grateful country.
  — W. H. Gibson
  Gibson entered service July 31, 1861, and by August 31 was named Colonel of the Forty-Ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Gibson was the 49th Ohio Infantry's commanding officer throughout the U.S. Civil War.  In August and September 1861, he organized and trained the 49th Ohio Infantry at Camp Noble, near his home in Tiffin, Ohio.  With Gibson in command, the regiment was mustered for three years and fought at 42 Civil War battles including: the Battle of Shiloh, the Siege of Corinth, the Battle of Stone River, the Tullahoma Campaign, the Battle of Chickamauga, the Battle of Missionary Ridge, the Atlanta Campaign, the Battle of Resaca, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, the Siege of Atlanta, the Battle of Jonesboro, the Second Battle of Franklin, and the Battle of Nashville.
  Gibson was known amongst his soldiers for his leadership, his positive speeches, and willingness to personally command in battle.  At the Battle of Shiloh he had three horses shot from under him and was wounded by bayonet. Gibson was mustered out September 5, 1864, and brevetted Brigadier General March 13, 1865.
  Whitelaw Reid summarized Gibson's service in the American Civil War thusly:
  He entered the service under a cloud, having been Treasurer of the State of Ohio, and been ejected from his office by Governor Chase for a defalcation of nearly three quarters of a million dollars. His fault was not in taking the money, but in concealing the fact that it had been taken, before his entrance into office, by his predecessor and relative, Mr. Breslin. General sympathy was felt for him, and it was felt that his entry into the military service was a manly effort to wipe out the stigma which weakness, rather than intentional guilt had placed on him. His career did this, and gave him an honored name among the soldiers of the state.
  — Whitelaw Reid, 1895
  In his home town of Tiffin, Ohio Gibson is commemorated for his leadership during the U.S. Civil with a bronze statue known as the William Harvey Gibson Monument, located on the grounds of the Seneca County Courthouse. Funding for this statue came from state funds and also from donations made by his soldiers.
caption: Colonel Gibson with horse later shot from under him
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