Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/201

 KEAKNY

KEARNY

Mo., on frontier duty, 1837-39 ; serving part of the time on tiie stiitf of Gen. Henry Atkinson. Under orders from Secretary Joel Roberts Poin- sett, he was selected witii William Eustis and Henry S. Tui-nej', both 1st lieutenants. U.S.A., to stud}' cavalry tactics at the Royal Cavalry school, Saumur, France, and they sailed from New York in August, 1839. Kearny was made an honorary aide-de-camp on the staff of the Duke of Orleans under Marshal Vallee in Algiers, and was present in several notable exploits while attached to the first Chasseurs d'Afrique in the campaign agair-st Abd-el-Kader, the Arab chief. On returning to the United States in the fall of 1840 he was made aide-de-camp to Gen. Alexander Macomb, commander-in-chief of the U.S. army, and to his successor. Gen. Winfield Scott, 1840-44. He was at Fort Leavenworth and accompanied the expedition through South Pass, 1844-46 ; and resigned his commission, April 2, 1846. On the outbreak of the war withJIexico, he was reinstated, April 15, recruited his com- panj- up to the war footing at Springfield, 111., where he was assisted by Abraliam Lincoln ; and purchased iron-gray horses in Illinois which he equipped at his own expense. He transported his men and horses by waj^ of the Jlississippi river to New Orleans, but he was not despatched to Mexico until October, 1846. On reaching the Rio Grande he joined General Taylor after the capture of Monterey and was commissioned cap- tain in December, 1846. When General Scott landed at Vera Cruz, Captain Kearny's troop, with a large part of Taylor's army, was ordered by Scott to join the army of invasion, and on arriving took up the march to tiie Mexican capital, his company of cavalry serving as a body- guard to the commanding general. He distin- guished himself at Contreras and at Cliurubusco and at the latter place received a wound that cost him his left arm. After the charge of the dragoons he dismounted and was the first Amer- ican officer to reach the gate of San Antonio, Aug. 20, 1847, but could not gain an entrance in the city, and as he fell back his left arm was shattered by a grape or canister shot. One of his comrades. Major Mills, was killed, and Capt. A. F. McReynolds and Lieut. John L. Graham were wounded. He was brevetted major for his gallantry in this charge, and on liis return from Mexico, the Union club of New York citj' pre- sented him with a splendid sword. On recovering fi-om his injury he was stationed in New York on recruiting .service, 1848-50 ; and in 1851 en- gaged in the campaign against the Rogue River Indians in California, commanding t»vo com- panies of U.S. dragoons under Captains Stewart and Walker, which resulteil in securing peace in the territory of Oregon, He resigned from the

army in October, 1851, in order to carry out a long-ciierished plan of making a tour of the world. He sailed on the U.S.S. Vincenncs by way of tl.e Sandwich Islands to China, and thence to the East Indies, Egyjit and the Mediterranean. On liis return to tiie United States he .settled on and beautified his estate " Belle Grove," near Newark. He attended the coronation of Em- peror Alexander at Moscow in 1856 ; and re- sided in France, 1859-60, where he greatly aided the Federal government by ojiposing thfr cause of secession. In 1859 he I'ejoined his com- rades of the 1st Chasseurs d'Afiique at Alex- andria, and was attached to the cavalry of the guard, under Napoleon III. in the war in Italj', being present on the field of Solferino where his services were rewarded by the decoration of the cross of the Legion of Honor for the .second time, he being the first American thus honored for military service. In 1861 he retired to the United States and proceeded to Washington, whei-e he offered his services to the government of the United States and subsequentlj' to the govern- ment of his native state, but no command was conceded for liim. He then entered the volun- teer service as commander of the 1st New Jer.sey brigade, composed of the 1st, 2d and 3d regi- ments, which brigade had reported to General Scott, June 29, 1861, and was joined by the 4th New Jersey regiment, August 21, just after Kearny had assumed command. He was com- missioned by President Lincoln, Aug. 7, 1861, brigadier-general of volunteers, to date from May 17, 1861. He encamped his brigade around the Episcopal seminary a few miles west from Alex- andria, Va., and on the very outskirts of tiie Fed- eral front, and there began a course of disci- pline that resulted in the " best brigade in the whole army," and the first to occup}' IManassas, Va., on March 11, 1862, as a result of his brilliant advance on Fairfax Court House, March 7, and Burke's Station, March 9, which as a military movement led to the hasty evacuation of ]\Ianas- sas Junction and Centerville by General John- ston. McClellau tendered him the command of Sumner's division, but he declined the promotion unless his own brigade should be made part of liis command. This was not deemed expedient by General Franklin and he remained with his brigade, much to their joy. On May 2, 1862, he accepted the command of the 3d division of the 3d corps. He took part in the battle of Williams- burg, May 5, 1802, after 2.30 P.:\r., when he reinforcH'd Hookers division, already exhausted in a stubliorn fight all the morning, and he recov- ered the ground lost, and made Williamsburg a victor}' for the Federal army. His force at this time included only five regiments, from which many men had straggled, and comprised net