St. John's Coalition in Pensacola in Escambia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Samuel G. French
| | St. John's Cemetery | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2025
1. Samuel G. French Marker
An 1843 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Samuel G. French was a decorated hero in the Mexican War where he sustained wounds, but gained prominence as a Major General in the Confederacy.
After rising to the rank of captain, French resigned his commission to become a planter in Mississippi. When the Civil War erupted, he sided with his adopted state and quickly was given command of a brigade, then a division in the Army of Northern Virginia and later, a division in the Army of Tennessee.
After the war, he returned to farming, writing his memoirs, and later moved to Pensacola.
Erected 2018 by Pensacola Bay Area Impact 100 and St. John's Cemetery Foundation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, Mexican-American • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Sons of Confederate Veterans/United Confederate Veterans series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1843.
Location. 30° 25.034′ N, 87° 14.061′ W. Marker is in Pensacola, Florida, in Escambia County. It is in St. John's Coalition. It is at the intersection of North
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Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Panhandle. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Helen Fisher (a few steps from this marker); Mary Lewis Willis (within shouting distance of this marker); Mary W. Willis (within shouting distance of this marker); Edward A. Perry (within shouting distance of this marker); Crypts (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line);
2. Marker detail: Samuel Gibbs French
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. St. John's Cemetery
Also see . . .
1. Samuel Gibbs French (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: American military officer from New Jersey. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1843, served as a captain in the U.S. Army in the Mexican-American War, and was wounded at the Battle of Buena Vista. In 1856, he resigned his commission to manage a plantation in Mississippi he obtained through marriage.(Submitted on May 2, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)At the start of the American Civil War, he sided with the Confederacy, was commissioned lieutenant colonel, promoted to brigadier general and major general. He served in the Eastern Theater and commanded the Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia. He was transferred to the Western Theater and commanded a division in the Army of Tennessee during the attempt to relieve the Siege of Vicksburg, the Atlanta campaign and the Franklin-Nashville campaign. Over the course of his military career, he served in thirty-five engagements.
French died in Florala, Alabama on April 20, 1910, while visiting his son and was interred at St. John's Cemetery in Pensacola. For the burial, his body was wrapped in both the American and the Confederate flags. His family placed a cenotaph for him in the family plot in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During the Civil War, Fort French near Wilmington, North Carolina, and Camp French near Quantico, Virginia, were named in his honor. During World War II, the Liberty ship SS Samuel G. French was built in Panama City, Florida, and named in his honor. There is a bust and marker of French in the National Military Park, Vicksburg, Mississippi.
2. Samuel Gibbs French (1818-1910) (Find A Grave).
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2025
3. Samuel G. French Marker
Looking west through the north end of St. John's Cemetery from section 25. The Samuel Gibbs French and Mary F. Abercrombie (his wife) tombstones are behind the marker.
(Saint John's Cemetery, Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida, USA, Section 25, Lot 27, Space 2) Excerpt: His USMA classmates included future Union Generals Ulysses S. Grant and William B. Franklin, as well as future Confederate Generals Roswell Ripley and Franklin Gardner. Served as an officer in the Artillery during the Mexican War, wounded at the Battle of Buena Vista, and received brevets of Captain and Major, US Regular Army. The State legislature of New Jersey presented an engraved sword to him in recognition of his bravery in Mexico. He married a Southern woman during his tenure in the Army and resigned his commission in 1856 to become a Southern planter. When the Civil War started, he opted for his adopted South and became a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army in October 1861.(Submitted on May 2, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2025
4. Samuel Gibbs French C.S.A. / S.C.V. Marker
West Point Graduate 1843
Lieutenant of Artillery Mexican War 1846-1848
Division Commander of Infantry Army of Tennessee
C. S. A. 1861-1865
Dedicated by S. C. V. Camp 1813
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2025
5. Samuel Gibbs French Tombstone
November 22, 1818
Died at Florala Ala.
April 20, 1910
U.S. Army 1843-1856
Major General
in the army of the
Confederate States
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2025
6. Mary F. Abercrombie Tombstone
Born Dec. 18, 1837.
Died May 16, 1900.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 2, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 19 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 1, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
