Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/202

 KEARNY

KEARNY

more than 1900 effective men, and his loss was 419, including 9 officers out of the 19 on the field of whom two were staff officers. On May 31, 1863, he lost, at the battle of Fair Oaks, 9 officers killed, 57 wounded, and of enlisted men, 184 killed, 759 wounded, an aggregate loss of 1090, and in the seven days' battle following, 8 officers killed, 24 wounded and of enlisted men, 96 killed, 573 wounded and 535 missing, a total aggregate loss of 1238, and in the engagements of June 30- July 1, 1862, closing the disastrous peninsula cam- paign, 7 officers were killed, 19 wounded, and of enlisted men, 71 killed, 470 wounded and 384 miss- ing. He was promoted to the rank of major-gen- eral of volunteers at Harrison's Landing to date from July 4, 1862. About the time of the battle of Fair Oaks, General Kearny directed the officers of the 3d division to wear a "red patch" on their caps that their division could be readily known in battle, and this led to the entire division using a red diamond-shaped badge as a distinguishing mark. Hooker at the same time adopting a white badge for the 2d division. In January, 1863, when Butterfield became chief-of-staff of the Army of the Potomac the division and corps badges were adopted by General Hooker. On Aug. 1, 1862, Kearny's division becaine the 1st division in Heintzelman's 3d corps and with the remainder of the Army of the Potomac joined General Pope's Army of Virginia under the orders of Gen- eral Halleck, Aug. 3, 1862, and arrived at War- renton Junction in time to take part in the second battle of Bull Run, August ^-30, where he opposed the flank movement of Jackson's corps, occupied the extreme right of the Federal line and on August 29 forced the position of Jackson behind the railroad embankment, but on August 30 was obliged to fall back in order to cover the retreat of the left wing and centre of the army, and in a desperate effort to stem the tide of the victorious Confederate troops he gained a ])artial victory which afforded a rest for both armies on August 31. The figlit was renewed, September 1, and late in the afternoon during a severe rain and thunder storm, while General Kearny was re- connoitring with General Birney in order to send reinforcement to a gap in the Federal line, liis horse shied, and becoming separated from Bir- ney, General Kearny inadvertently rode within the enemy's line. Turning about, on seeing his mistake, he prostrated his body on his horse's side and neck and tried to escape, but received a shot in the spine which killed him instantly. His division fell to the command of General Bir- ney, who ordered a charge and recovered the field of battle. During the night he buried the dead and removed the wounded, and under a flag of truce General Lee restored to the defeated foe the body of General Kearny with his horse and

arms and equipments, after Generals Jackson, Ewell and other general officers of the Confeder- ate army had reverently escorted the body, pre- ceded by a regimental band, to General Lee's headquarters. After his death the citizens of New Jersey erected a statue to the memory of Maj.-Gen. Philip Kearny in the City Park, Newark. His cousin. Gen. John Watts de Peys- ter(q.v.), prepared an exhaustive biography en- titled: Perso7ial and Military Hisiory of Philip Kearny, Major-General, United States Volunteers (1869). General Kearny died on the battle-field of Chantilly, Va., Sept. 1, 1862.

KEARNY, Stephen Watts, soldier, was born in Newark, N.J., Aug. 30, 1794; son of Philip Kearny, who was born probably in Philadelphia, removed with his father to Perth Amboy, N.J., and thence to Newark N.J.; grandson of Philip and Lad}^ Barney Dexter (Ravaud) Kearny, and great-grandson of Michael Kearny, a native of Ireland, who removed to Monmouth county pre- vious to 1716. He entered Columbia college in the class of 1812, but left to accejit a commission as 1st lieutenant in the 13th U.S. infantry, March 12, 1812. He was present at the assault on Queenstovvn Heights, Oct. 13, 1812, when Lieu- tenant-Colonel Christie, commanding the regi- ment, was wounded, and that officer presented to Kearny his sword for the cool and determined nianner in which he executed his orders. He was made prisoner and carried to Quebec, where he was held for several months. He was pro- moted captain in April, 1813; brevetted major, April, 1823, and commissioned major. May, 1829. He helped to organize the 1st U.S. dragoons. Col. Henry Dodge, and on March 4, 1833, was com- missioned lieutenant-colonel, Jefferson Davis be- ing commissioned 1st lieutenant in the same regiment on the same date. Kearny was pro- moted colonel, July 4. 18.36, and stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. He was given command of the Army of the West on June 30, 1846, with the rank of brigadier-general, was the conqueror of the province of New Mexico, and for his action at the battle of San Pascula, Cal., Dec. G, 1846, in which he was twice wounded, was brevetted major-general. He commanded the combined force of dragoons, sailors and marines in the battle of San Gabriel and Plains of Mesa, Jan. 8-9, 1847, and proclaimed himself governor of California, March 1, 1847, serving as chief execu- tive of the territory until June, 1847, when he was ordered to Mexico, where he was made mili- tary and civil governor of Vera Cruz in March, 1848, and of the City of Mexico in May, 1848. He contracted a fever in Mexico which resulted in liis death. He was married in St. Louis to Miss Radford, who came to Missouri from Virginia with her jjarents about 1815. They had several