As a small boy, his family moved to North Carolina. He entered West Point as a candidate from North Carolina, and graduated 20th in the class of 1847. Fought in the War with Mexico, and was sent to Ft. Leavenworth as Captain of the 4th U.S. Artillery, after the war. He wrote the basic Artillerist Manual and it was published by the War Department in 1860. Because of his expertise as an artillerist, General Irvin McDowell made him Chief of Artillery in October 1861. Three of General Gibbons' brothers fought for the South, and he was ostracized by them until well after the war. 
General John Gibbon
b. April 20, 1827 (Philadelphia, PA)
d. February 6, 1896 (Baltimore, MD)
Gained fame as the commander of the famous Iron Brigade, the "black hats". In January 1865, he was placed in command of the XXIV Army Corps (insignia: the Heart), in which the Army of West Virginia was a part of (the Independent Division).