Dignity of Duty: A Personal Odyssey of Service from the Civil War to the Spanish-American War

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Valparaso, Baltimore, Chicago, New York City, the battle fields of the Civil War, Mississippi during Reconstruction, the Texas frontier, the Dakotas, Arizona and finally Puerto Rico, Erasmas Corwin Gilbreath's service brought him and his family to the most developed and farthest outposts of 19th Century America.

When President Lincoln called for volunteer militias to fight in the Union Army, Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath was one of the men who helped raise the 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

As an officer, Lieutenant Gilbreath procured his own uniform.

Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath met his wife, Susan Corse, when stationed in Baltimore in 1861.

Camped at the water's edge, Gilbreath and the 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment were witnesses to the Battle of the Ironclads.

The Virginia harbor known as Hampton Roads was the site of the first battle of American ironclad warships.

The Seven Days Battle was Union General George McClellan's failed attempt to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. 

Captain Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath and the 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment were sent to reinforce the Army of Virginia before the Second Battle of Bull Run.

General Ambrose Burnside was assigned to replace General McClellan as the commander of the Army of the Potomac after its devistating loss in the Second Battle of Bull Run.

After taking command of the Army of the Potomac, General Burnside executed his plan to take Fredericksburg, but late arrival of pontoons to cross the Rappahannock River prevented Union seizure of Fredericksburg.

After the Union army finally crossed the Rappahannock River, Union and Confederate forces met in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Due to the months long delay in the Union Army crossing the Rappahannock River, the Confederate Army was able to build up forces in Fredericksburg. 

Over 10,000 Union and Confederate soldiers, including Captain Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath, were wounded in the Battle of Fredericksburg.

While recuperating in a hospital from his injury at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Captain Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath and other wounded were visited by patriotic women and politicians.

 President Abraham Lincoln carried out inspections of the Army of the Potomac in April 1863, including Captain Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath's regiment.

Now under the command of General Joseph Hooker, the Army of the Potomac once again attempted to reach the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.

Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath wrote to his mother following the humilitating Union defeat in the Battle of Chancellorsville.

Following his victory in the Chancellorsville Campaign, Confederate General Robert E. Lee made the ambitious decision to invade the North. Hoping to capitalize on the high spirits of his army, Lee headed into Pennsylvania.

Following his victory in the Chancellorsville Campaign, Confederate General Robert E. Lee made the ambitious decision to invade the North. Hoping to capitalize on the high spirits of his army, Lee headed into Pennsylvania.

In November, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address as part of the dedication ceremony of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery.

After draft riots in New York City devolved into violent mobs, the 20th Indiana Volunteer Regiment was sent to enforce the draft in the city.

The Army of the Potomac’s push toward capturing the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia began in early May, 1864 with the Battle of “The Wilderness.”

In the spring of 1864, the 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment first encountered the Confederate Army in an area known as “The Wilderness”. 

The 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment suffered 19 killed and 105 wounded in “The Wilderness.” 

Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath and the 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment fought in the 18 hour "slugfest" known as the "bloody angle."

The 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment participated in the 10 month Siege of Petersburg.

On February 14, 1865, Gilbreath rejoined the Union Army and was appointed Lieutenant Colonel in General Winfield Scott Hancock’s First Veterans Corps.

Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath, as part of his military duties, was made a Commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Mississippi.

During his tenure as a Commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau, Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath encountered the Ku Klux Klan.

Assigned to Montgomery County, Texas in 1869, 1st Lieutenant Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath took charge of reconstruction efforts there.

When 1st Lieutenant Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath relocated to Fort Griffin, Texas, in 1871, he was truly moving to the western frontier inhabited by buffalo, Native Americans, cowboys, and gamblers.

In 1874, during Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath’s recruiting service duties in Chicago, he was promoted to Captain and was witness to the city's second great fire

Though smaller than the famous Chicago fire, the 1874 fire in downtown Chicago caused enough damage to be the subject of news throughout the United States.

After the Battle of Little Big Horn, Captain Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath's company was sent to the Dakota Territory.

After being stationed at Fort Abraham Lincoln, Captain Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath was tasked to the building of Fort Custer in Montana.

In 1879, Captain Eramsus Corwin Gilbreath was appointed inspector of supplies for the Crow Agency in Montana.

After a yearlong leave of absence, Gilbreath returned to his unit in Fort Buford in the Dakota Territory.

This is the only known photo of the entire Gilbreath family.

In fall 1891, Captain Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath was ordered to Arizona Territory. His son-in-law, Oliver Edwards, served with him in the 11th Infantry.

The Arizona Territory was another rough and difficult assignment for Gilbreath and his family.

Gilbreath, his wife Susan, and his two daugthers enjoyed life together at Whipple Barracks, Arizona Territory.

Colonel Charles A. Wikoff letter of congratulations to Gilbreath for his promotion to Major in the Army.

Following the sinking of USS Maine in the Havana Harbor, the United States declared war on Spain.

Following the declaration of war on Spain, Major Gilbreath received orders to mobilize the 11th Infantry in Tampa, Florida before deploying to Puerto Rico.

Gilbreath's son-in-law, Lieutenant Oliver Edwards, accompanied Major Gilbreath to Florida as an officer in the 11th Infantry. 

 Arriving in Puerto Rico on August 2, 1898, the 11th Infantry engaged the Spanish ner the town of Mayaguez.

On August 22,1898, Major Gilbreath died in Puerto Rico.

In honor of the Union and Confederate soldiers lost in the Battle of Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln dedicated a cemetery to the fallen during the Gettysburg address.

While photography was prevalent during the Civil War, artist illustrations were often used to depict important moments from the field.

Like Gilbreath, Confederate Colonel George W. Baylor kept a record of his serive during the 19th Century.

Artist Edwin Forbes traveled for two years with the Army of the Potomac and captured through illustrations some of more common moments of the life of a soldier during the Civil War.

Tensions between Native Americans and settlers where high as America expanded west.

This account of a doctor in 19th century features a dipiction of hunting in the Dakota Territory by soldiers.

Pa-Ha-Sa-Pah, of the Black Hills of South Dakota is a historical account of the settlers of the Dakota Territory and the Native American tribes of the area.

Dakota reviews the history of the Territory before North and South Dakota were admitted into the Union.

The Cuban and Porto Rican Campaigns features a map of Puerto Rico during the 19th century.

Our Naval War With Spain Including Battles on Sea and Land features Major General Nelson Applegate Miles, leader of the invasion of Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War.

Major General Nelson Miles took the city of Ponce with no major battles and raised the American flag there on July 28, 1898.

Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath qualified for the Civil War Campaign Medal for his service in the 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, though he died seven years before this medal was authorized.

Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath qualified for the Indian Wars Campaign Medal for his service during the “Bannock War” in 1877.

Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath was eligible for the Spanish Campaign Medal for his service in Puerto Rico between August 2, 1898 and August 13, 1898.

Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath qualifed for the Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal for his service in Puerto Rico from the end of the Spanish-American War until his death on August 22, 1898.

This senior officer’s frock coat is a replica of the uniform worn by Maj. Gilbreath in his last formal military portrait.

The musket was the standard firearm of the infrantryman during the early - to mid-19th Century.

The minié ball increased the leathal range of the musket.

The Colt Model 1849 Pocket Percussion Revolver was used by some volunteer Civil War officers.