John Gibson (American soldier)
 | This article's factual accuracy is disputed. (July 2009) |
John Gibson | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of the Indiana Territory | |
| In office July, 4 1800 – November, 7 1816 | |
| Governor | William Henry Harrison Thomas Posey |
| Preceded by | (office created) |
| Succeeded by | (office abolished) |
| Governor of the Indiana Territory (acting) | |
| In office September 17, 1812 – March 3, 1813 | |
| Preceded by | William Henry Harrison |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Posey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 23, 1740 Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
| Died | 10 April 1822 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Children | None |
| Profession | Soldier Merchant Public servant |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Great Britain United States of America |
| Battles/wars | French and Indian War |
John Gibson (May 23, 1740 – 10 April 1822) was a veteran of several wars and the Secretary of the Indiana Territory. He served twice as acting governor of the territory.
Biography
Early life
Gibson was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Most of his early life was spent along the Allegheny frontier where he was a merchant trader. He held local office in several counties as a judge, clerk, and sheriff. Although there is no record of his schooling, he was reputed to be well educated for his times.[1]
In 1758, he participated in the Forbes Expedition under General John Forbes against the French at Fort Duquesne as part of the French and Indian War. He remained at Fort Pitt after the war to engage in trade with Native Americans. He was captured by Native Americans during Pontiac's Rebellion while trading in the west and was condemned to be burnt, but escaped death when he was adopted by an old Indian woman whose son had died in battle. He remained with the Mingo tribe in southwest Virginia for several years and adopted the name Horsehead.[2] He married the relative of Mingo leader Logan and also learned their to speak the native language.[3] After several years he left his wife to return to trading and while gone his wife and several other Mingo were murdered by a group of settlers.[1][4] In 1774, he participated in Dunmore's War and produced a written translation of Logan's famous speech suing for peace: "I appeal to any white man to say if he ever entered Logan's cabin hungry and he gave him not meat. . . . "[5]
In the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, Gibson was active in Indian negotiations. He raised a regiment and led it into battle and served in various other regiments of the Virginia Line of the Continental Army, rising to the rank of colonel. Gibson commanded a regiment during the battles in New York and stayed in the theater until after the retreat through the Jerseys. He was then reassigned to command the army on the western front and left in command of forces at Fort Laurens during the harsh winter of 1778–1779, during which the fort was subjected to a siege by British and native forces. After the war he was a judge in Allegheny County, major-general and commanding officer of the militia, and a member of Pennsylvania's constitutional convention in 1790.[6][7]
Indiana Territory
U.S. President John Adams appointed Gibson to be secretary of the Indiana Territory in 1800, despite his being 66 years old. Gibson arrived in the territory in July of that year and took up his duties. For nearly a year he was the only government official in the territory. Governor William Henry Harrison did not arrive in the territory until January of 1801 in which time Gibson served as acting-governor. One of his first acts as secretary was to conduct a census of the territory. It took him a full year of investigation to find that the population was slightly less than five thousand. Gibson's relationship with the local tribes proved invaluable to Harrison during the numerous treaty negotiations in the early part of his term. Gibson, who spoke several of the native languages, was the first to become aware of Tecumseh's attempt to massacre the citizens of Vincennes in 1810 and was able to quickly and secretly gather together soldiers to prevent the situation from escalating.[7]
He became acting-governor again in the summer of 1812 while Harrison was out of the territory. The American Indian Confederacy led by Tecumseh began to make aggressive movements and attacked Fort Harrison. Gibson called up the territorial militia and the Indiana Rangers, and organized several regiments to go to its aid. He was also instrumental in negotiating treaties with the Lenape and other tribes and preventing them from entering the war against the United States. Gibson remained acting governor once war was officially declared while Harrison led the army against the British and their native allies in the War of 1812. He returned to his secretary's position in May 1813 when Thomas Posey arrived in the territory to assume the governorship. Gibson continued in the office of secretary until Indiana achieved statehood in 1816.[8]
After completing his term in government, Gibson returned to private life, briefly remaining in Vincennes. He returned to his family in Pittsburg, where he died on April 10, 1822, having suffered from an "incurable cataract".[2] Gibson County, Indiana was named his honor.
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Gugin, Linda C. & St. Clair, James E, ed. (2006). The Governors of Indiana. Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Historical Society Press. ISBN 0871951967.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link) - Woollen, William Wesley (1975). Biographical and Historical Sketches of Early Indiana. Ayer Publishing. ISBN 0405068964.
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