Major General Philip Kearny
Union Major General Philp Kearny lost an arm in the
Mexican War and commanded French troops in the Italian War. Philip Kearny had
the most combat experience of any General of either side at the start of the
Civil War. Kearny took command of the First New Jersey Brigade, and trained it
to be an efficient fighting force. At
the Battle of Williamsburg, Kearny led a charge against Confederate troops with a sword in his one hand, and the reins of his horse
in his teeth. He was beloved and
respected by common soldiers. In August,
1862, General Philip Kearny led his division at the Second Battle of Manassas,
which saw the Union Army routed and nearly destroyed. Kearny retreated toward Washington and fought
the pursuing Confederates on September 1, 1862, at the Battle of Chantilly.
Responding to warnings
about his safety, he said, “The Rebel bullet that can kill me has not yet been
molded.” Encountering Confederate troops, Kearny refused a demand to surrender
and was shot while trying to retreat. He died instantly. Confederate Maj.
General A.P. Hill said, “…he deserved a better fate than to die in the mud.” Kearny’s body was sent to the Union line by Robert E. Lee under a
flag of truce, and his death was mourned by officers on both sides. Kearny’s body was embalmed and sent north
for burial. Embalming
methods advanced rapidly during the war.
Dr. Thomas Holmes received a commission from the Army Medical Corps to
embalm the corpses of dead Union officers to return to their families. Military
authorities also permitted private embalmers to work in military-controlled
areas.
Kearny was buried in New
York. In 1912, his remains were exhumed and re-interred at Arlington National
Cemetery. The re-interment drive was spearheaded by Charles F. Hopkins, who had
served under Kearny. There is a statue in Kearny’s honor at Arlington National
Cemetery, one of only two equestrian statues at Arlington. The statue was dedicated by President Woodrow
Wilson in November, 1914. The statue was
refurbished in 1996 by the non-profit New Jersey, General Philip Kearny
Memorial Committee.
Hidden History of Northern Virginia
In 1860, disgruntled secessionists in the deep North
rebel against the central government and plunge America into Civil War. Will
the Kingdom survive? The land will run red with blood before peace comes again.