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 Brigadier General John Gibbon Statue - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 48.661 W 077° 14.123
18S E 308654 N 4409172
This statue commemorates Brigadier General John Gibbon when he commanded the 2nd Division, II Corps on July 3, 1863 during Lonstreet's Assault. Despite the statue being placed in 1988, it's still a contributing structure to the historic district.
Waymark Code: WMGHKH
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 03/08/2013
Views: 10
General John Gibbon (April 20, 1827 – February 6, 1896) was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. When war broke out between the states, Gibbon was serving as a captain of Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery at Camp Floyd in Utah. Despite the fact that his father was a slaveholder and that three of his brothers, two brothers-in-law and his cousin J. Johnston Pettigrew served in the Confederate military, Gibbon decided to uphold his oath to the Union. At the Battle of Gettysburg, he commanded the 2nd Division, II Corps and temporarily commanded the corps on July 1 and July 2, 1863, while Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock was elevated to command larger units. At the end of the council of war on the night of July 2, army commander Maj. Gen. George G. Meade took Gibbon aside and predicted, "If Lee attacks tomorrow, it will be on your front." His division did bear the brunt of fighting during the defense against Pickett's Charge on July 3, when Gibbon was again wounded. John Gibbon died in Baltimore, Maryland, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. SOURCE
The Brigadier General John Gibbon Statue is located on the right or east side of  Hancock Avenue (RD310) if traveling north along the road at The Angle. The sculpture is across from the United States Regulars Monument (MN235). The line of monumentation spread out in this area and along the road represents the line of union regiments who defended Cemetery Ridge at The Angle against Longstreet's assault also referred to as Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863, the final day of the Great Battle.  Parking is plentiful and is available road-side at intermittently enlarged shoulder cut-outs, usually marked with white striping. Be sure to keep vehicles off the grass or you will be ticketed by park police. I visited this monument on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at approximately 3:54 P.M. I was at an elevation of 588 feet, ASL. I used a Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.
The Draw the Sword site helped out by the NPS narrative and the SIRIS site offers the following description: Portrait of Brig. Gen. John Gibbon stands on a columnic, castellated pedestal and a tiered base. He is dressed in uniform, with a wide-brimmed hat. He holds his sword and scabbard in his proper left hand. He holds field glasses in the proper right hand which is extended back, as the figure is in mid-stride. John Gibbon (1827-1896) commanded the 2nd Division of Winfield S. Hancock’s 2nd Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Though it took until 1988 to erect a monument to General Gibbon, an article discussing the Gettysburg Monument Commission’s original recommendation to the governor to erect a monument to General Gibbon appeared in 1913. The monument cost roughly $80,000. The base was reused from a Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. (MOLLUS) plot in Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia.
The monument was dedicated on July 3, 1988. The monument has a marble base and of course the statue is of bronze. The memorial has the following dimensions: The sculpture is approximately 17½ feet high and the base is approximately 118 x 64 inches². The monument was sculpted by Terry Jones and finished at the foundry of Laran Bronze, Inc. There are lengthy inscriptions on the front and reverse sides on bronze plaques which read:
(Front):John Gibbon
Brigadier General
July 2-3, 1863
At Gettysburg commanded 2nd Division, II Corps on July 3, 1863 serving with "conspicuous gallantry and distinction" in the repulse of Longstreet's Assault, until he was wounded and carried from the battlefield.
At the beginning of the Civil War, John Gibbon was a captain in the 4th Artillery serving in the Utah Territory. Assigned as Chief of Artillery in McDowell's Division, he participated in the advance on Fredericksburg during the Peninsula Campaign. He was promoted to brigadier general May 2, 1862 thereafter taking command of the IRON BRIGADE which participated in the battles of Second Bull Run, South Mountain and Antietam. In November 1862, he became commander of the 2nd Division, I Corps. He was wounded in the wrist during the battle of Fredericksburg. In April 1863, he took command of the 2nd Division, II Corps. He was wounded in the left arm and shoulder at the battle of Gettysburg. In charge of draft depots in Cleveland and Philadelphia until March 1864, he returned to the 2nd Division, II Corps participating in the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and the investment of Petersburg. Gibbon was promoted to major general effective June 7, 1864. He was in temporary command of the XVIII Corps before being placed in command of the XXIV Corps, Army of the James in January, 1865. General Gibbon was in charge of the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox, April 1865.
Gibbon
1827 - 1896
(Back):
John Gibbon was born April 20, 1827 in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the age of ten he moved with his family to North Carolina where he remained until he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point. Gibbon graduated from the Academy in 1847, 20th in a class of 38, becoming an artillery officer. He served in the Mexican War fighting at Mexico City and Toluca. After serving in the Seminole Wars he spent five years as an instructor then quartermaster at the Military Academy. Gibbon authored, THE ARTILLERIST'S MANUAL, which was published by the War Department in 1860. After the Civil War, he was appointed colonel of the 36th U.S. Infantry and then in 1869 the 7th U.S. Infantry. Commanding several posts in the West, much of Gibbon's duties were against the Indians. His troops took part in the 1876 campaign in which Custer was defeated at the Little Big Horn. Gibbon's troops arrived on the field in time to rescue the survivors and bury the dead. In 1877 he took part in the campaign against the Nex Percé during which he was seriously wounded. On July 10, 1885, Gibbon was promoted to brigadier-general in the regular army. He transferred to the Department of Columbia in 1885, then served in the Department of the Pacific until his retirement. General Gibbon retired in 1891, thereafter residing in Baltimore, Maryland. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States 1895-1896. General John Gibbon died on February 6, 1896 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The Brigadier General John Gibbon Statue is a contributing feature to the Gettysburg National Military Park Historic District which is nationally significant under NR Criteria A, B, C & D. Areas of Significance: Military, Politics/Government, Landscape Architecture, Conservation, Archeology-Historic. Period of Significance: 1863-1938. The original National Register Nomination was approved by the Keeper March 19, 1975. An update to this nomination was approved by the Keeper on January 23, 2004. The monument is identified as structure number MN802.
From the Nomination Form:
Commemorates Brig. Gen. John Gibbon when he commanded 2nd Division, II Corps July 3, 1863 during Lonstreet's Assualt and other commands held during Civil War. Located near site of Gibbon's field headquarters. Commemorative monument constructed in 1988 that falls outside the period of significance but has an association with the theme of park.
Short Physical Description:
Mn base stepped, smooth cut. 3 part stepped shaft of polished & smooth cut stone. Incised inscriptions front & back, II Corps symbol on sides, ramparted top. Capped with statue of Brigadier General John Gibbon. Base reused from PA GAR Cemetery. [I believe this last sentence is incorrect. Adam Flint, MOLLUS Registrar-in-Chief informs me the base was reused from a Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. (MOLLUS) plot in Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia.]
Long Physical Description:
N/A
My Sources
1. NRHP Nomination Form
2. SIRIS
3. Stone Sentinels
4. Virtual Gettysburg
5. Draw the Sword
6. Historical Marker Database
7. Wikipedia
Website pertaining to the memorial: [Web Link]
List if there are any visiting hours:
8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.- November 1 through March 31
8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.- April 1 to October 31
Entrance fees (if it applies): 0
Type of memorial: Monument
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Visit Instructions:
*(1.)* Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit.
*(2.)* If you have additional information about the memorial which is not listed in the waymark description, please notify the waymark owner to have it added, and please post the information in your visit log.
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