George Henry Gordon was born on July 19, 1823, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, to Robert and Elizabeth Gordon. His father died in the 1820s, and his mother moved the family to Framingham, Massachusetts, soon afterward. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1846, and he served under General Winfield Scott during the Mexican American War. He was “severely wounded” in the Battle of Chapultepec, and he received a brevet promotion to 1^st lieutenant for gallantry in the Battle of Cerro Gordo. He resigned from the army in October 1854, and he earned a living as a lawyer in Framingham.  

 

In 1861, he received a commission as colonel of the 2^nd Massachusetts Infantry. He was promoted to brigadier general in June 1862, and he took part in the Battle of Antietam. Army officials later transferred him to the Department of the South, where he was stationed on Folly Island, South Carolina. According to an early biographer, he “never was a popular officer with the men during the early days of the great struggle, but out of the warp and woof of raw material he wove the texture of veterans, and the subsequent record of that gallant command showed the great value of that iron-clad discipline which he infused upon the officers and men of his command.” He remained in the army until August 24, 1865.

 

He married Maria E. Scott on June 16, 1864, and they apparently had no children. He returned to Framingham after the war and resumed his work as a lawyer. He also worked as a collector for the Internal Revenue Service. He wrote extensively about his wartime experiences. He died in Framingham on August 30, 1886.

 

Image: George H. Gordon (courtesy Wikicommons)

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