Gibraltar Brigade

The "Gibraltar Brigade" was a famed infantry brigade within the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Noted for its tenacity in combat, the brigade drew its nickname from the steadfastness of the Rock of Gibraltar. It served in many of the leading battles of the Eastern Theater, including key actions during the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 when elements of the brigade counter-attacked Confederates from North Carolina and the Louisiana Tigers on Cemetery Hill. Another portion of the brigade helped repulse Pickett's Charge the following day.

For the World War II unit with a similar name, see 1st Gibraltar Brigade (United Kingdom).

Through much of the war, the Gibraltar Brigade was composed of the 4th Ohio Infantry, 8th Ohio Infantry, 14th Indiana Infantry, and the 7th West Virginia Infantry. The brigade was augmented by the 24th and 28th New Jersey before the Battle of Fredericksburg. Before the Overland Campaign in early 1864, its ranks were bolstered by the addition of the 1st Delaware, 12th New Jersey, and the 10th New York Battalion.

Its commanders included Nathan Kimball, Samuel S. Carroll, and Thomas A. Smyth.

References
  • Dyer, Frederick Henry, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. 3 volumes. New York: T. Yoseloff, 1908.

Further reading
  • Baumgartner, Richard A., Buckeye Blood: Ohio at Gettysburg. Huntington, West Virginia: Blue Acorn Press, 2003. ISBN 1-885033-29-X.
  • Baxter, Nancy Niblack, Gallant Fourteenth: The Story of an Indiana Civil War Regiment. Emmis Books, 1995, ISBN 0-9617367-8-X
  • Kepler, William Fourth Ohio Volunteers, 1861-1864: Gibraltar Brigade, Army of the Potomac Trans Allegheny Books, 1992.
  • Lash, Gary George, The Gibraltar Brigade on East Cemetery Hill: Twenty Five Minutes of Fighting-Fifty Years of Controversy. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Stan Clark Military Books, 1996. ISBN 0-935523-50-2.
  • Mellott, David W. and Snell, Mark A. The Seventh West Virginia Infantry: An Embattled Union Regiment from the Civil War's Most Divided State University Press of Kansas, 2019.
  • Reid, Whitelaw, Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers. Volume 2. Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach, & Baldwin, 1868.


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