The incident scarred Gilbert for life. His father had died while he was in custody, and five years after he was released on parole, his wife divorced him. Gilbert returned to his hometown of York, Pennsylvania, remarried, and lived quietly until his death. Although he never stopped trying to clear his name, to little avail, his last years were cheered somewhat by the fact that his surviving comrades-in-arms had never forgotten him, and after they had located him, welcomed him back into their ranks. As one of them reported, "He didn't know if we would accept him. We welcomed him with open arms. No matter what was written, no matter what was said, we know the facts. We were there."