Samuel Gibbs French

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For the publisher of plays, see Samuel French.

Samuel Gibbs French
November 22, 1818 – April 20, 1910 (aged 91)
Samuel Gibbs French
Place of birth	New Jersey
Place of death	Pensacola, Florida
Allegiance	United States of America Confederate States of America
Rank	Major (USA) Major General (CSA)
Commands held	Divisional Commander of the Army of Tennessee
Battles/wars	Mexican-American War American Civil War
Other work	Planter and author

Samuel Gibbs French (November 22, 1818 – April 20, 1910) was an officer in the U.S. Army, wealthy plantation owner, author, and a major general in the Confederate army during the American Civil War. He commanded a division in the Army of Tennessee in the Western Theater.

Samuel G. French was born in Trenton, New Jersey.^[1] He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1843. His classmates included future Civil War generals Ulysses S. Grant, William B. Franklin, Roswell Ripley, and Franklin Gardner. French was brevetted as a second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery and assigned to garrison duty.

During his military travels in the Mexican-American War, he married a southern woman. He rose to the rank of major, but resigned his commission to become a planter.

When the Civil War began, French sided with the South, entering service as a brigadier general.

After the war, he returned to his work as a southern planter, and later authored the book "Two Wars" about his war experiences. He died in Pensacola, Florida.

Photo of French from his book.

[edit] References

^ Armstrong, Samuel S. "Trenton in the Mexican, Civil, and Spanish-American Wars", accessed May 9, 2007. "Samuel Gibbs French was a native of Trenton and graduated from West Point in 1843 with the brevet rank of Second Lieutenant and assigned to the Third U.S. Artillery, July 1, 1843."