Marching to Atlanta

George Washington Gibson (1841 – 1929)

Private, Company D, 79th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry

79th Pensylvania Infanty
79th Pennsylvania Infantry Battle Flag
George Washington Gibson was my Great-Grandfather and, among other things, a Civil War veteran.  He enlisted in Captain McBride’s Company of the 79th PA Volunteer Infantry at Monongahela City, PA on September 7, 1861 for “three years or the duration of the war.”

Captain McBride’s Company later became Company D, 79th Pennsylvania Infantry.   

The regiment was formed in Lancaster County, PA.  Company D was the only company in the 79th Pennsylvania Infantry recruited in Washington County, PA.  All other companies were originally made up of men from Lancaster County.

The records show George was 20 years old at the time; however, there is some uncertainty as to his exact age since the family Bible recording his birth was destroyed during a flood.

He received a gunshot wound in the neck at the Battle of Chaplin Hills, KY on October 8, 1862.  Records show he spent approximately two months in the hospital as a result.  The Battle of Chaplin Hills was called the Battle of Perryville by the Confederacy.

His unit (79th PA Infantry) is also listed in the following Civil War Orders of Battle:

  • Chickamauga, GA – September 19-20, 1863
  • Chattanooga, TN – November 23-25, 1863
  • Atlanta Campaign – May 4, 1864 through September 2, 1864.

During March and April of 1864, George was on detached service with the 78th Pennsylvania Infantry.  There is no record of why George was on detached service.  However, during this period, 79th Pennsylvania Infantry personnel who had re-enlisted were on furlough.  It is possible that George and others who chose not to re-enlist were put on detached duty because of this.

George was mustered out of the US Army upon expiration of his three-year enlistment in Atlanta, GA on October 3, 1864.

A roster of the men who served in the 79th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, can be found here.  Note that there is a mistake in this reference.  The 79th was an Infantry Regiment, not a Calvary Regiment.

You can find out more about George and his Civil War service at our Genealogy site.

Some of George W. Gibson’s records indicate he was a “non-veteran.”During the Civil War, soldiers who chose not to re-enlist upon expiration of their original term of service were called “non-veterans.”

George W. Gibson received a pension for his Civil War service from around 1890 until his death in 1929.