Henry Gilbreath, a native of Grant County, Wisconsin and resident of Liberty, Randolph County, Illinois, enlisted as a private in Company K, 5th Illinois Cavalry on September 10, 1861. Gilbreath was mustered into service that November, re-enlisted as a veteran in 1864, and was mustered out as a company quartermaster sergeant in October 1865.

The 5th Illinois Cavalry was organized on August 31, 1861, and was mustered out of service on October 27, 1865. The regiment moved to St. Louis in early 1862, and saw service in Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi.

Gilbreath died on February 24, 1924, in Apache, Oklahoma.

Carte-de-Visite by Washington Gallery, Vicksburg, Miss.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 30185