Gibbon, John (1827-1896) to Henry Jackson Hunt
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02382.048 Author/Creator: Gibbon, John (1827-1896) Place Written: Fort Laramie, Wyoming Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 25 September 1883 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope ; 23 x 14 cm. Order a Copy
Discusses Hunt's retirement. Expresses hope that Logan (possibly Senator John Logan, chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs) presses the 62 year bill during the upcoming winter. Writes "I shall not mourne when my time comes, tho' I do not doubt that I shall have vitality- enough left to feel like a cat on a strange garret at having nothing to do. I console myself however with the reflection that I shall still retain the right to grumble!" Instructs Hunt to ask General Andrew Atkinson Humphreys to show him correspondence Gibbon sent to Humphreys regarding a report on the Battle of the Wilderness. Does not expect return correspondence from Humphreys, as he (Gibbon) made awkward points in the letter. Sends his and Mrs. Gibbon's best wishes to the Hunts. Gibbon, a Civil War general, was loyal to the Union though he had three brothers fighting for the Confederacy. An 1847 West Point graduate. After serving several months as McDowell's chief artillerist, was granted a brigadier's star and assigned to the only all-Western brigade serving with the armies in Virginia. Led the brigade at Antietam and was wounded at Fredericksburg while commanding a division. He returned to fight at Chancellorsville and was seriously wounded at Gettysburg on the final day. Returned for the spring 1864 campaign and was mustered out but remained on active duty, serving against the Indians with the Little Big Horn campaign, serving in the Montana Territory and Pacific Northwest. He commanded Fort Laramie in 1883, and the Department of the Platte in 1884.
Hunt was governor of the Soldiers' Home in Washington, D.C. from 1883 until his death. Gibbon, a Civil War general, continued in the military after the war, serving in the Montana Territory and Pacific Northwest. He commanded Fort Laramie in 1883, and the Department of the Platte in 1884.
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