Son of Thomas T. Gamble, who had served as purser's clerk aboard the USS Vincennes, in the Pacific Surveying expedition of 1853; in a letter sent by colonel Joseph G. Totten, to the secretary of War, Simon Cameron, and dated at Washington, D.C., June 8, 1861, Totten wrote: "Thomas T. Gamble, son of Col. Gamble, a very distinguished officer of Marines who died in the service after a long life of devotion to his country. He was with Commodore Porter in the Pacific commanding the Marines of the Essex & most highly commended by the Commodore. The son T. T. Gamble is a noble young man of the [word illegible] character full of the spirit of his father is now serving as a private in the 13 Regt. of N. York Volunteers. I ask for him the appointment of a Lieut. In the Regular service and [word illegible] for his high qualifications"; the unit mentioned was actually the 13th New York Militia, a 3 months unit, and in which Gamble was serving as private in company G; married Ella Wood, in Morristown, New Jersey, on Tuesday, December 23, 1862 by the Reverend R.N. Merritt; shown, in 1864, as captain serving on the staff of the Military Governor at the headquarters, Military District of Washington, D.C.; on January 25, 1864, Gamble addressed a letter to colonel E.D.Townsend, assistant adjutant general of the United States Army, in which he stated: "I have the honor to become an applicant for the position of Asst. Adjt. Gen. Of Volunteers. At the breaking out of the rebellion I entered the service as a private in the 13th Regiment New York State Militia. At Annapolis, Md., I was promoted to 2nd lieutenant and acted as assistant adjutant general to colonel Abel Smith then commanding that post. In November 1861 I was appoint a 2nd lieutenant inthe Cavalry regiment known as ‘Scotts 900' and am still attached to it, although on duty at the headquarters of brigadier general Martindale, Military Governor of this district. I take the liberty of enclosing herewith a letter written, in my behalf, by brigadier general Joseph G. Totten, at the time I was an applicant for an appointment in the Marine Corps. The appointment was given me, but being too old by a few months to comply with a provision of a recent Act of Congress regulating the ages at which applicants might be admitted to the Corps, I was unable to accept it..."; this letter was countersigned by general Martindale, with the added notation: "Being informed by captain Gamble that he desires the appointment of assistant adjutant general with a view of joining some command on active duty in the field and entertaining respect and regard for him as a gentleman fully qualified to discharge the duties of that office, I cordially recommend his appointment. Capt. Gamble has been performing special duty on my staff for nearly a year..."; February 4, 1864, captain Gamble delivered two prisoners to the penitentiary at Albany, New York; part of his orders, while in service, included the following: "General Orders No. 1, Headquarters, Military Division of West Mississippi, Office Chief of Cavalry, New Orleans, La., July 5, 1864. The following named officers are assigned to duty with the Chief of Cavalry, at these headquarters, by authority of the Commanding General of the military division of West Mississippi, and will be obeyed, and respected accordingly: ……..COLONEL SHERBURNE'S CAVALRY STAFF……..Acting Assistant Adjutant General – Major Thomas T. Gamble, Eleventh New York Cavalry……" ; on December 21, 1864, Gamble addressed a letter from the headquarters, Department of the Gulf, at New Orleans, to brigadier general E.D. Townsend, assistant adjutant general of the United States Army, at Washington, in which Gamble stated: "I have the honor to apply for the appointment of additional Paymaster, U.S.A. In making this application I would state that I have been in the service for more than three years – that I am, at present, unfitted for field duty as a cavalry officer by reason of injuries received in June last from the falling off my horse – that I am familiar with accounts, have had a good business education, and that I believe myself to be competent to perform the duties of the position I desire..."; later appointed as major in the 11th New York Cavalry, and, in that capacity, he addressed another letter to general Townsend, from Morristown, Morris county, New Jersey, dated April 28, 1865, in which he stated: "In December last I applied to the Department for an appointment as additional paymaster, U.S. Army. I have been recently informed that I was among the number selected, early in March, to appear before a Board for examination, also that an order upon the subject had been sent me. As this order has never reached me, I have the honor to request that it may be sent me here, should the information which I have received be correct. I was mustered out on the 22nd instant at Memphis, Tennessee, on account of the expiration of my term of service."; after the war he worked as a steamship agent for the Pacific Mail steamers, and was a resident, with his wife Ella, and two sons, John and William, at Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey, in 1880; later served as vice consul at Auckland, New Zealand, where he died of apoplexy, on Thursday, April 29, 1886, aged 53; interred, with Masonic honours at St. Mark's Cemetery, Remeura (he had been Master of the Masonic Lodge at Remeura, E.C.); after his death, his wife, Ella W. Gamble (whom he had married in 1862), continued to receive the pension, until her death at Auckland in September 1903.

SOURCES:


Letters Received by the Office of the Adjutant General, Main Series, 1861-1870 at www.FOLD3.com;

Civil War Service Records of Union regiments;

New York Times (marriage column) dated December 25, 1862;

New York Herald dated Monday, July 18, 1864, front page;

Letters Received by the Commission Branch of the Adjutant Generals Office, 1863 – 1870 at www.fold3.com;

Civil War service records; U.S. 1880 Census;

WAIKATO TIMES ;

New Zealand Death Search Index at http://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Search;

New York Daily Tribune dated Thursday, May 5, 1853, page 6.