William Harvey Gibson
Encyclopedia
Brigadier General
William Harvey Gibson (16 May 1821 – 22 November 1894) was a Republican politician from Ohio
and Brigadier General
of the Union
Army’s 49th Ohio Infantry of Volunteers
during the American Civil War
.
On his mother's side, Gibson was descended from Robert Coe
who arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
in 1634 aboard the ship the Francis. On his father's side, he was of Scotch-Irish descent, the grandson of Colonel John Gibson, commanding officer of Virginia's 7th Regiment during the American Revolutionary War
, Secretary of the Territory of Indiana (1800–1810), and Acting Governor
of Indiana (1811–1813).
William Harvey Gibson was known to everyone except his mother as "Bill." He was the tenth of 11 children. He had five brothers and five older sisters (Sally, Polly, Hetty, Patty, Eliza, Robert McDowell, Moses Coe, John Kendall, Benjamin, and James Allen). When he was only four months old, the Gibson family moved to Seneca County
from its farm on the Ohio River
in Jefferson County
, outside of Steubenville, Ohio
. The family settled in Melmore, Ohio
. At the time, it was still a wooded frontier and home to Seneca and Mohawk Indians. Both sides of the family were Presbyterians and Gibson recalls being baptized with ten Indian children by Rev. James B. Findley with the ceremony being translated by the Indian interpreter "Black Jack." Gibson also recalls hearing Chief "Grey Eyes" preach. In the 1820s, the Gibson brothers took their corn for milling at the mill that the U.S. government built for the Wyandotte Indians on the Upper Sandusky River
.
Gibson attended the first school organized in Seneca County, Ohio in 1826 with his brothers Robert, Benjamin and James Allen. It was located in the second room of James Latham's log cabin and the teacher was Mrs. Laura Latham. The Lathams later donated land and asked the community to help build a one-room log schoolhouse, which became known as Craw's Hill School. It was run by Headmaster Edward Ranger. Among Gibson's early schoolmates were Anson Burlingame
(diplomat), Consul Wilshire Butterfield (author and historian), O. D. Conger
(U.S. Congressman and U.S. Senator from Michigan), and Charles Foster (35th Governor of Ohio and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury).
In his late teens, Gibson was eager to explore the American West. Together with his brother Robert McDowell Gibson and his neighbors John Kennedy and James Downs, he formed an exploration party that travelled west to explore the Territory of Iowa
. The trip was a disaster with Kennedy and Downs dying by the time they reached Iowa City. The Gibson brothers returned to Melmore, Ohio
. It would be their youngest brother James Allen Gibson who would explore the West and settle in Kansas
.
Bill and his brother Robert McDowell Gibson (who would later become a practicing M.D.), enrolled in Ashland Academy in Richland County, Ohio
in 1841. (The school later became Ashland University
and Ashland Theological Seminary
). Here, he honed his debating and oratory skills, becoming known for his strong position on temperance.
and during the U.S. Presidential campaign of 1840, campaigned alongside General William Henry Harrison
. Bill (William Harvey) Gibson and Warren P. Noble
(later a prosecuting attorney, judge and U.S. Congressman) studied law together under Abel Rawson. Gibson was admitted to the Ohio bar and his first case was defending a client against racial slurs before Judge Reuben Wood
.
Gibson became involved in politics as a member of the Whig Party
with strong anti-slavery views. During the U.S. Presidential campaign of 1844
, he gave stump speeches for Henry Clay
due to the Whig Party's platform that opposed admitting Texas
into the Union because it was a slave state. In the U.S. Presidential campaign of 1848, Gibson supported Whig candidate, "Rough and Ready" General Zachary Taylor
. However, he was concerned about the Whig Party's lack of opposition to the abolition of slavery and personally visited Henry Clay at his home in Ashland, Kentucky
in 1848 to discuss this issue. In 1853, following the large defeat of the Whig candidate General Winfield Scott
in the U.S. Presidential election of 1852, Gibson threw his support to the Free Soil Party
and began organizing what would become the Republican Party in Ohio. He attended the first organization meeting of the Republican Party in spring of 1856 in Pittsburgh. He was one of the 69 Ohio delegates (of a total 600 delegates from around the country) that attended the first Republican National Convention
held in Philadelphia in June 1856. In 1856, he ran and was elected as the first Republican to hold the office of Ohio State Treasurer
.
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. For his leadership, Gibson was commissioned Brigadier General in 1865.
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.
in Sandusky County, Ohio
. He continued as active stump speaker in support of Republican candidates. In 1879, Ohio Governor Charles Foster appointed Gibson Adjutant-General for the state of Ohio. In 1887, Ohio Governor Joseph B. Foraker
appointed him to the Ohio Canal Commission. In the 1880s, he was ordained a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church
.
said that she had "listened to many of the most gifted orators of Europe and America, but have never listened to such eloquence as poured forth for two hours and half as from the lips of William H. Gibson, of Ohio." At Gibson's funeral in 1894, William McKinley
, who at the time was Governor of Ohio (1892–1896, and later U.S. President, 1897–1901) made the eulogy. McKinley also noted Gibson's gift for oratory saying that, "For fifty years, Gibson has been the most attractive and sought after of public speakers. On the lecture platform, at hundreds of Grand Army camp-fires, and in the pulpit, wherever duty called him, General Gibson made fitting responses. ... I am here, to pay tribute to the man I loved so much. The last time I heard him was at Old Fort, the Sunday before Memorial day. He was never more eloquent. General Gibson believed the two most important things in life were piety and patriotism. In his creed they were linked in indissoluble union. His piety was broad enough to include every creed and his patriotism wide enough to cover the whole country."
[retrieved 1 February 2011]
Bartlett, J. G. (1911). Robert Coe, puritan: His ancestors and descendants, 1340-1910, with notices of other Coe families. Boston, Mass: Pub. for private circulation by the author.
Baughman, A. J. (1911). History of Seneca County, Ohio: A narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co.
Bigger, D. D. (1901). Ohio's silver-tongued orator: Life and speeches of General William H. Gibson. Dayton, Ohio: United Brethren Pub. House.
Gibson, M. M. (1967). Reminiscences of the early days of Tiffin, Ohio. S.l: s.n.
Sandusky Scrapbook, “William Harvey Gibson Monument,” http://www.sandusky-county-scrapbook.net/hughesgranite/Gibson.htm [retrieved 18 January 2010]
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
William Harvey Gibson (16 May 1821 – 22 November 1894) was a Republican politician from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
of the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
Army’s 49th Ohio Infantry of Volunteers
49th Ohio Infantry
The 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 49th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Noble in Tiffin, Ohio August and September 1861 and mustered in for three years service under the command of Colonel William H. Gibson...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life
William Harvey Gibson was born on 16 May 1821 to John Gibson (1778–1852) and Jeannette Gibson (née Coe) (1782–1850). He was raised in a family that valued hard work, plain dress, temperance and sympathy for the unfortunate and opposed slavery and "social gilded livery." The Gibson family also placed special attention on developing good oratory and debating skills and held a regular family debating circle during the long winter evenings.On his mother's side, Gibson was descended from Robert Coe
Robert Coe (colonist)
Robert Coe was an early English settler and the progenitor in New England of most of the Coes in America. Robert Coe was born at Thorpe-Morieux, in the county of Suffolk, England, and baptized in the ancient church there on October 26, 1596, as recorded in parish registers...
who arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
in 1634 aboard the ship the Francis. On his father's side, he was of Scotch-Irish descent, the grandson of Colonel John Gibson, commanding officer of Virginia's 7th Regiment during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Secretary of the Territory of Indiana (1800–1810), and Acting Governor
Acting governor
An acting governor is a constitutional position created in some U.S. states when the governor dies in office or resigns. In some states, the governor may also be declared to be incapacitated and unable to function for various reasons, including illness and absence from the state for more than a...
of Indiana (1811–1813).
William Harvey Gibson was known to everyone except his mother as "Bill." He was the tenth of 11 children. He had five brothers and five older sisters (Sally, Polly, Hetty, Patty, Eliza, Robert McDowell, Moses Coe, John Kendall, Benjamin, and James Allen). When he was only four months old, the Gibson family moved to Seneca County
Seneca County, Ohio
Seneca County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,745. Its county seat is Tiffin and it is named for the Seneca Indians.The Tiffin Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Seneca County....
from its farm on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Ohio
Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 69,709. Its county seat is Steubenville and is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was at the time Vice President....
, outside of Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The family settled in Melmore, Ohio
Melmore, Ohio
Melmore is a census-designated place in central Eden Township, Seneca County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44845. It is located at the intersection of State Routes 67 and 100....
. At the time, it was still a wooded frontier and home to Seneca and Mohawk Indians. Both sides of the family were Presbyterians and Gibson recalls being baptized with ten Indian children by Rev. James B. Findley with the ceremony being translated by the Indian interpreter "Black Jack." Gibson also recalls hearing Chief "Grey Eyes" preach. In the 1820s, the Gibson brothers took their corn for milling at the mill that the U.S. government built for the Wyandotte Indians on the Upper Sandusky River
Sandusky River
The Sandusky River is a tributary to Lake Erie in north-central Ohio in the United States. It is about long and flows into Lake Erie at Sandusky Bay.-Course:...
.
Gibson attended the first school organized in Seneca County, Ohio in 1826 with his brothers Robert, Benjamin and James Allen. It was located in the second room of James Latham's log cabin and the teacher was Mrs. Laura Latham. The Lathams later donated land and asked the community to help build a one-room log schoolhouse, which became known as Craw's Hill School. It was run by Headmaster Edward Ranger. Among Gibson's early schoolmates were Anson Burlingame
Anson Burlingame
Anson Burlingame wasan American lawyer, legislator, and diplomat, born in New Berlin, Chenango County, New York. In 1823 his parents took him to Ohio, and about ten years afterwards to Michigan...
(diplomat), Consul Wilshire Butterfield (author and historian), O. D. Conger
Omar D. Conger
Omar Dwight Conger was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the U.S. state of Michigan.Conger was born in Cooperstown, New York and moved with his father, the Rev. E. Conger, to Huron County, Ohio in 1824...
(U.S. Congressman and U.S. Senator from Michigan), and Charles Foster (35th Governor of Ohio and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury).
In his late teens, Gibson was eager to explore the American West. Together with his brother Robert McDowell Gibson and his neighbors John Kennedy and James Downs, he formed an exploration party that travelled west to explore the Territory of Iowa
Iowa Territory
The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa.-History:...
. The trip was a disaster with Kennedy and Downs dying by the time they reached Iowa City. The Gibson brothers returned to Melmore, Ohio
Melmore, Ohio
Melmore is a census-designated place in central Eden Township, Seneca County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44845. It is located at the intersection of State Routes 67 and 100....
. It would be their youngest brother James Allen Gibson who would explore the West and settle in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
Bill and his brother Robert McDowell Gibson (who would later become a practicing M.D.), enrolled in Ashland Academy in Richland County, Ohio
Richland County, Ohio
Richland County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 124,475. It is included in the Mansfield, Ohio, Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Mansfield–Bucyrus Combined Statistical Area....
in 1841. (The school later became Ashland University
Ashland University
Ashland University is a mid-sized, private, non-profit university that is located in Ashland, Ohio.The University offers 73 undergraduate majors and nine pre-professional programs. The majors include toxicology/environmental science and entrepreneurship, which are unusual for an institution of its...
and Ashland Theological Seminary
Ashland Theological Seminary
Ashland Theological Seminary is an evangelical seminary located in Ashland, Ohio, with extension campuses in Cleveland, OH, Columbus, OH, and Detroit, MI...
). Here, he honed his debating and oratory skills, becoming known for his strong position on temperance.
Early Legal and Political Career
In 1841 when William Harvey Gibson petitioned the law firm of Rawson & Pennington to join their firm, he was following in the steps of his older brother John Kendall Gibson who had studied law at Washington & Jefferson CollegeWashington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
and during the U.S. Presidential campaign of 1840, campaigned alongside General William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
. Bill (William Harvey) Gibson and Warren P. Noble
Warren P. Noble
Warren Perry Noble was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.Noble was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania near Berwick and eventually moved to Ohio....
(later a prosecuting attorney, judge and U.S. Congressman) studied law together under Abel Rawson. Gibson was admitted to the Ohio bar and his first case was defending a client against racial slurs before Judge Reuben Wood
Reuben Wood
Reuben Wood was a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. He served as the 21st Governor of Ohio.Wood was born near Middletown, Rutland County, Vermont. While living with an uncle in Canada, he was conscripted into the Canadian Army at the outset of the War of 1812, but escaped across...
.
Gibson became involved in politics as a member of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
with strong anti-slavery views. During the U.S. Presidential campaign of 1844
United States presidential election, 1844
In the United States presidential election of 1844, Democrat James K. Polk defeated Whig Henry Clay in a close contest that turned on foreign policy, with Polk favoring the annexation of Texas and Clay opposed....
, he gave stump speeches for Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
due to the Whig Party's platform that opposed admitting Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
into the Union because it was a slave state. In the U.S. Presidential campaign of 1848, Gibson supported Whig candidate, "Rough and Ready" General Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
. However, he was concerned about the Whig Party's lack of opposition to the abolition of slavery and personally visited Henry Clay at his home in Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...
in 1848 to discuss this issue. In 1853, following the large defeat of the Whig candidate General Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
in the U.S. Presidential election of 1852, Gibson threw his support to the Free Soil Party
Free Soil Party
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. It was a third party and a single-issue party that largely appealed to and drew its greatest strength from New York State. The party leadership...
and began organizing what would become the Republican Party in Ohio. He attended the first organization meeting of the Republican Party in spring of 1856 in Pittsburgh. He was one of the 69 Ohio delegates (of a total 600 delegates from around the country) that attended the first Republican National Convention
1856 Republican National Convention
The 1856 Republican National Convention convened from June 17 to June 19, 1856 at the Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and nominated General John C. Frémont of California and former Senator William Dayton of New Jersey for President and Vice President of the United...
held in Philadelphia in June 1856. In 1856, he ran and was elected as the first Republican to hold the office of Ohio State Treasurer
Ohio State Treasurer
-List of Ohio State Treasurers:...
.
Civil War General, Commander of the Union Army's 49th Ohio Infantry of Volunteers
Gibson was the 49th Ohio Infantry's49th Ohio Infantry
The 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 49th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Noble in Tiffin, Ohio August and September 1861 and mustered in for three years service under the command of Colonel William H. Gibson...
commanding officer throughout the U.S. Civil War. In August and September 1861, he organized and trained the 49th Ohio Infantry
49th Ohio Infantry
The 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 49th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Noble in Tiffin, Ohio August and September 1861 and mustered in for three years service under the command of Colonel William H. Gibson...
at Camp Noble, near his home in Tiffin, Ohio
Tiffin, Ohio
Tiffin is a city in and the county seat of Seneca County, Ohio, United States. The population was 18,135 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Tiffin as a Tree City USA....
. With Gibson in command, the regiment was mustered for three years and fought at 42 Civil War battles including: the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
, the Siege of Corinth
Siege of Corinth
The Siege of Corinth was an American Civil War battle fought from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.-Background:...
, the Battle of Stone River, the Tullahoma Campaign
Tullahoma Campaign
The Tullahoma Campaign or Middle Tennessee Campaign was fought between June 24 and July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Union Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Maj. Gen. William S...
, the Battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
, the Battle of Missionary Ridge
Battle of Missionary Ridge
The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Missionary Ridge and defeated the...
, the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
, the Battle of Resaca
Battle of Resaca
The Battle of Resaca was part of the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle was waged in both Gordon and Whitfield counties, Georgia, from May 13 - 15, 1864. It ended inconclusively with the Confederate Army retreating. The engagement was fought between the Military Division of the...
, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E...
, the Siege of Atlanta, the Battle of Jonesboro, the Second Battle of Franklin, and the Battle of Nashville
Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Tennessee under...
.
Gibson was known amongst his soldiers for his leadership, his positive speeches, and willingness to personally command in battle. At the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
he had three horses shot from under him and was wounded. For his leadership, Gibson was commissioned Brigadier General in 1865.
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.
After the Civil War
Following the Civil War, General Gibson returned to civilian life to practice law. In 1871, he laid out the town of GibsonburgGibsonburg, Ohio
Gibsonburg is a village in Sandusky County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,506 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Gibsonburg as a Tree City USA.-Geography:Gibsonburg is located at ....
in Sandusky County, Ohio
Sandusky County, Ohio
Sandusky County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,944. Its county seat is Fremont and it is named for a native word meaning "water" ....
. He continued as active stump speaker in support of Republican candidates. In 1879, Ohio Governor Charles Foster appointed Gibson Adjutant-General for the state of Ohio. In 1887, Ohio Governor Joseph B. Foraker
Joseph B. Foraker
Joseph Benson Foraker was a Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 37th Governor of Ohio from 1886 to 1890.-Early life:...
appointed him to the Ohio Canal Commission. In the 1880s, he was ordained a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
.
Legacy
William Harvey Gibson is best remembered for his eloquent oratory during at a difficult period in U.S. history. Abolitionist Harriet Beecher StoweHarriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom...
said that she had "listened to many of the most gifted orators of Europe and America, but have never listened to such eloquence as poured forth for two hours and half as from the lips of William H. Gibson, of Ohio." At Gibson's funeral in 1894, William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
, who at the time was Governor of Ohio (1892–1896, and later U.S. President, 1897–1901) made the eulogy. McKinley also noted Gibson's gift for oratory saying that, "For fifty years, Gibson has been the most attractive and sought after of public speakers. On the lecture platform, at hundreds of Grand Army camp-fires, and in the pulpit, wherever duty called him, General Gibson made fitting responses. ... I am here, to pay tribute to the man I loved so much. The last time I heard him was at Old Fort, the Sunday before Memorial day. He was never more eloquent. General Gibson believed the two most important things in life were piety and patriotism. In his creed they were linked in indissoluble union. His piety was broad enough to include every creed and his patriotism wide enough to cover the whole country."
External links
“General William H. Gibson,” New York Times, 23 Nov. 1894. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70B14FF355515738DDDAA0A94D9415B8485F0D3[retrieved 1 February 2011]
Bartlett, J. G. (1911). Robert Coe, puritan: His ancestors and descendants, 1340-1910, with notices of other Coe families. Boston, Mass: Pub. for private circulation by the author.
Baughman, A. J. (1911). History of Seneca County, Ohio: A narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co.
Bigger, D. D. (1901). Ohio's silver-tongued orator: Life and speeches of General William H. Gibson. Dayton, Ohio: United Brethren Pub. House.
Gibson, M. M. (1967). Reminiscences of the early days of Tiffin, Ohio. S.l: s.n.
Sandusky Scrapbook, “William Harvey Gibson Monument,” http://www.sandusky-county-scrapbook.net/hughesgranite/Gibson.htm [retrieved 18 January 2010]