Charles Champion Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Charles Champion Gilbert (March 1, 1822 – January 17, 1903) was a United States Army
officer during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War
.
. He graduated from West Point
in the famed Class of 1846, finishing 21st out of 59 students. His classmates included twenty future Civil War generals, including George B. McClellan
, Stonewall Jackson
, George Stoneman
, Darius N. Couch
, and George Pickett
. He served in Veracruz
and Mexico City
during the Mexican-American War before serving in Texas
for two years. He returned to West Point in 1850 as an instructor, then served on the Western frontier
. He was also the first member of the Beta Theta Pi
Fraternity chapter at Ohio University
(Beta Kappa).
and commanded the post of Fort Cobb, Kansas. Once the war began, Gilbert rejoined the 1st Regiment and fought in the Battle of Wilson's Creek
, where he was wounded. He was appointed inspector general
in the Army of the Ohio
during the Battle of Shiloh
and the Siege of Corinth
.
, Maj. Gen.
William "Bull" Nelson was wounded in the battle of Richmond and his Army of Kentucky severely mauled. Department commander, Horatio G. Wright, needed to select a replacement for the wounded Nelson and the two ranking officers, namely brigadier generals Charles Cruft
and James S. Jackson
, refused the promotion. Therefore, at the recommendation of both Cruft and Jackson, Wright promoted Captain Gilbert of the regular army to fill the vacancy. Gilbert was elevated to acting major general pending the approval of the president. Several days later, on September 9, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Gilbert to brigadier general of U.S. Volunteers. Wright's illegal promotion to major general, however, gave Buell enough leverage to appoint Gilbert over such generals as Jeremiah T. Boyle, Jefferson C. Davis
, and Albin F. Schoepf. Buell later denied knowing Gilbert had not actually received an official appointment.
in his shoulders, Gilbert was temporarily placed in command of the Army of Kentucky in the absence of General Nelson. About the time Nelson was well enough to resume command, he was murdered in Louisville and Gilbert retained the command. The Army of Kentucky was assimilated into the Army of the Ohio
becoming its III Corps. Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell
, commanding the Army of the Ohio, assigned acting major general Gilbert to command the corps.
A week later, Gilbert was engaged in the Battle of Perryville
. His troops were successful in checking the last of the Confederate
attacks and driving a Confederate brigade back through Perryville
, but Gilbert was criticized for his slow action in battle and he was widely despised by the men in his corps for his actions as a martinet
.
Gilbert's only official appointment (to brigadier general) was not confirmed by the Senate
and it expired on March 4, 1863. Some officers in the Army, including chief of staff James B. Fry
, were surprised to find out Gilbert had not officially been promoted to major general. Despite this he was appointed major
in the 19th U.S. Infantry and brevet
colonel
in the regular army.
) left Gilbert without a command. He commanded a provisional division in Tennessee at the battle of Harpeth River. The rest of his service was spent in administrative positions, holding the post of Assistant Provost Marshal General in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and later Hartford, Connecticut
, for the remainder of the war.
. He was the brother of Union Brig. Gen. Samuel A. Gilbert.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officer during the Mexican-American War and 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
Gilbert was born in Zanesville, OhioZanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
. He graduated from West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in the famed Class of 1846, finishing 21st out of 59 students. His classmates included twenty future Civil War generals, including George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
, Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
, George Stoneman
George Stoneman
George Stoneman, Jr. was a career United States Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the 15th Governor of California between 1883 and 1887.-Early life:...
, Darius N. Couch
Darius N. Couch
Darius Nash Couch was an American soldier, businessman, and naturalist. He served as a career U.S. Army officer during the Mexican-American War, the Second Seminole War, and as a general officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.During the Civil War, Couch fought notably in the...
, and George Pickett
George Pickett
George Edward Pickett was a career United States Army officer who became a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
. He served in Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
during the Mexican-American War before serving in 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...
for two years. He returned to West Point in 1850 as an instructor, then served on the Western frontier
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
. He was also the first member of the Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
Fraternity chapter at Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
(Beta Kappa).
Early service
Shortly before the Civil War started, Gilbert was appointed captain in the 1st U.S. InfantryU.S. 1st Infantry Regiment
The 1st Infantry Regiment draws its lineage from a distinguished line of post Revolutionary War Infantry Regiments and is credited with thirty-nine campaign streamers....
and commanded the post of Fort Cobb, Kansas. Once the war began, Gilbert rejoined the 1st Regiment and fought in the Battle of Wilson's Creek
Battle of Wilson's Creek
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard, early in the American Civil War. It was the first major battle of the war west of the Mississippi River and is sometimes...
, where he was wounded. He was appointed inspector general
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
in the Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
during 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...
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:...
.
Promotion to Major General
During the Confederate Heartland OffensiveConfederate Heartland Offensive
The Confederate Heartland Offensive or Kentucky Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in East Tennessee and Kentucky in 1862 during the American Civil War...
, Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
William "Bull" Nelson was wounded in the battle of Richmond and his Army of Kentucky severely mauled. Department commander, Horatio G. Wright, needed to select a replacement for the wounded Nelson and the two ranking officers, namely brigadier generals Charles Cruft
Charles Cruft (general)
Charles Cruft was a teacher, lawyer, railroad executive, and a Union general during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
and James S. Jackson
James S. Jackson
James Streshly Jackson was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, refused the promotion. Therefore, at the recommendation of both Cruft and Jackson, Wright promoted Captain Gilbert of the regular army to fill the vacancy. Gilbert was elevated to acting major general pending the approval of the president. Several days later, on September 9, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Gilbert to brigadier general of U.S. Volunteers. Wright's illegal promotion to major general, however, gave Buell enough leverage to appoint Gilbert over such generals as Jeremiah T. Boyle, Jefferson C. Davis
Jefferson C. Davis
Jefferson Columbus Davis was an officer in the United States Army who served in the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the Modoc War. He was the first commander of the Department of Alaska, from 1868 to 1870...
, and Albin F. Schoepf. Buell later denied knowing Gilbert had not actually received an official appointment.
Perryville
Proudly wearing two starsMajor general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
in his shoulders, Gilbert was temporarily placed in command of the Army of Kentucky in the absence of General Nelson. About the time Nelson was well enough to resume command, he was murdered in Louisville and Gilbert retained the command. The Army of Kentucky was assimilated into the Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
becoming its III Corps. Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, and the American Civil War. Buell led Union armies in two great Civil War battles—Shiloh and Perryville. The nation was angry at his failure to defeat the outnumbered...
, commanding the Army of the Ohio, assigned acting major general Gilbert to command the corps.
A week later, Gilbert was engaged in the Battle of Perryville
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
. His troops were successful in checking the last of the Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
attacks and driving a Confederate brigade back through Perryville
Perryville, Kentucky
Perryville is a historical city in western Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 763 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, but Gilbert was criticized for his slow action in battle and he was widely despised by the men in his corps for his actions as a martinet
Martinet
The martinet is a punitive device traditionally used in France and other parts of Europe. The word also has other usages . It is also a term for a type of hammer in French, a diminutive of marteau , "hammer".-Object:...
.
Gilbert's only official appointment (to brigadier general) was not confirmed by the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and it expired on March 4, 1863. Some officers in the Army, including chief of staff James B. Fry
James Barnet Fry
James Barnet Fry was an American soldier and prolific author of historical books.-Biography:He was born in Carrollton, Illinois. He graduated from West Point in 1847 and served for a time as assistant instructor of artillery there. He was stationed successively in Oregon, Louisiana, and Texas, and...
, were surprised to find out Gilbert had not officially been promoted to major general. Despite this he was appointed major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
in the 19th U.S. Infantry and brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in the regular army.
Later assignments
Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans took command of the Army of the Ohio and the subsequent reorganization (as the Army of the CumberlandArmy of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
) left Gilbert without a command. He commanded a provisional division in Tennessee at the battle of Harpeth River. The rest of his service was spent in administrative positions, holding the post of Assistant Provost Marshal General in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and later Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, for the remainder of the war.
Postbellum career
Gilbert served on the frontier until he retired in 1886. He died in Baltimore, Maryland, and was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He was the brother of Union Brig. Gen. Samuel A. Gilbert.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals