After the start of the Civil War , Gamble was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 8th Illinois Cavalry regiment on 18 September 1861 . His nomination was urged by his close friend , U.S. Congressman John F. Farnsworth , who raised and commanded the regiment . Gamble 's son George also joined the regiment as a first lieutenant . ( George survived the war , but was killed in a collapsed hotel during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake )
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
William Gamble (general)