View source for Philip Kearny

{{short description|US Army Union Army general (1815–1862)}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Philip Kearny Jr.
|birth_date= {{birth date|1815|6|1}}
|death_date= {{death date and age|1862|9|1|1815|6|2}}{{KIA}}
|birth_place= [[New York City]], New York, U.S.
|death_place= [[Chantilly, Virginia]], U.S.
|placeofburial= [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|image= Philip Kearny,jr.jpg
|caption= Philip Kearny
|nickname= "Kearny the Magnificent"
|allegiance= {{flag|United States of America|1861}}<br />{{Flag|Second French Empire}}
|branch= {{army|USA}}
* {{flagdeco|USA|1861}} [[Union Army]]
{{army|France}}
|serviceyears= 1837–1851; 1861–1862 (US)<br /> 1859–1861 (France)
|rank= [[File:Union Army major general rank insignia.svg|35px]] [[Major general (United States)|Major General]]
|commands= [[First New Jersey Brigade]]
|unit=
|battles= {{Tree list}}
* [[Mexican–American War]]
** [[Battle of Contreras]]
** [[Battle of Churubusco]]
{{Tree list/end}}
{{Tree list}}
* [[Second Italian War of Independence]]
** [[Battle of Solferino]]
{{Tree list/end}}
{{Tree list}}
* [[American Civil War]]
** [[Peninsula Campaign]]
*** [[Battle of Williamsburg]]
*** [[Battle of Fair Oaks]]
*** [[Battle of Glendale]]
*** [[Battle of Malvern Hill]]
** [[Northern Virginia Campaign]]
*** [[Second Battle of Bull Run]]
*** [[Battle of Chantilly]]{{KIA}}
{{Tree list/end}}
|awards=
|laterwork=
|signature=Appletons' Kearny Lawrence - Philip - signature.jpg
}}
'''Philip Kearny Jr.''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɑːr|n|i}}; June 1, 1815 – September 1, 1862) was a [[United States Army]] officer, notable for his leadership in the [[Mexican–American War]] and [[American Civil War]]. He served in [[Emperor of the French|French Emperor]] [[Napoleon III]]'s [[Imperial Guard (Napoleon III)|Imperial Guard]] at the [[Battle of Solferino]].

The first U.S. citizen to be awarded the French ''[[Légion d’Honneur|Légion d'Honneur]]'', he was killed in action in the 1862 [[Battle of Chantilly]].

==Early life and career==
{{Moresources | section|date=March 2024}}
Kearny was born in New York City to a wealthy Irish American family. His father and mother were Philip Kearny Sr. and Susan Watts.<ref>De Peyster, p. 32.</ref> His maternal grandfather [[John Watts (New York politician)|John Watts]], the last Royal Recorder of New York City,<ref>De Peyster, p. 31.</ref> was one of New York's wealthiest residents, who had vast holdings in ships, mills, factories, banks, and investment houses. Kearny's father was a [[Harvard]]-educated, New York City financier who owned his own brokerage firm and was also a founder of the [[New York Stock Exchange]].

Early in life, Kearny desired a career in the military. His parents died when he was young, and he was consequently raised by his grandfather.  Against the younger Kearny's wishes, his guardian insisted that Kearny pursue a law career. Kearny attended [[Columbia College of Columbia University|Columbia College]], attaining a law degree in 1833. His cousin [[John Watts de Peyster]], who had also attended Columbia, wrote the first authoritative biography on Kearny.

In 1836, his grandfather died, leaving Kearny a fortune of over $1 million (${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|1000000|1836}}}} in {{inflation-year|US}} dollars). He chose to make the army his profession. The following year, Kearny obtained a commission as a [[second lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]] of cavalry, assigned to the [[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st U.S. Dragoons]], who were commanded by his uncle, Colonel [[Stephen W. Kearny]], and whose adjutant general was [[Jefferson Davis]]. The regiment was assigned to the western frontier.

Kearny was sent to France in 1839 to study [[cavalry tactics]], first attending school at the famous cavalry school in [[Saumur]].  He participated in several combat engagements with the ''[[Chasseurs d'Afrique]]'' in [[Algeria]]. Kearny rode into battle with a sword in his right hand, pistol in his left, and the reins in his teeth, as was the style of the Chasseurs. His fearless character in battle earned him the nickname from his French comrades of ''Kearny le Magnifique'' ("Kearny the Magnificent"). He returned to the United States in the fall of 1840 and prepared a cavalry manual for the Army based on his experiences overseas.

Shortly afterward, Kearny was designated [[aide-de-camp]] to General [[Alexander Macomb (general)|Alexander Macomb]], and served in this position until Macomb's death in June 1841. After a few months at the cavalry barracks in [[Carlisle, Pennsylvania]], Kearny was assigned to the staff of General [[Winfield Scott]], soon becoming his aide-de-camp.  He did additional duty on the frontier, accompanying his uncle's unit on an expedition to the South Pass of the [[Oregon Trail]] in 1845.

===Mexican War===
Kearny, disappointed with the lack of fighting he was seeing in the Army, resigned his commission in 1846, but returned to duty a month later at the outbreak of the [[Mexican–American War]]. Kearny was assigned to raise a troop of cavalry for the 1st U.S. Dragoons, Company F, in [[Terre Haute, Indiana]]. He spared no expense in recruiting his men and acquired 120 matched dapple gray horses with his own money. The unit was originally stationed at the [[Rio Grande]] but soon became the personal bodyguard for General Scott, the commander-in-chief of the Army in Mexico. Kearny was promoted to [[Captain (U.S. Army)|captain]] in December 1846.

Kearny and his men participated in the battles of [[Battle of Contreras|Contreras]] and [[Battle of Churubusco|Churubusco]]; in the latter engagement, Kearny led a daring cavalry charge and suffered a grapeshot wound to his left arm.  It later had to be amputated. Kearny's courage earned him the respect of his soldiers and fellow officers alike; General-in-Chief Winfield Scott called him "a perfect soldier" and "the bravest man I ever knew."<ref>Dupuy, p. 396.</ref> Kearny quickly returned to duty.  When the U.S. Army entered Mexico City the following month, he had the personal distinction of being the first man through the gates of the city.

Kearny was an original member of the [[Aztec Club of 1847]], a military society for Army officers who served in Mexico in 1847.  Its membership qualifications were later modified to include all American officers who served during the Mexican War and their male descendants.

===Resignation and service in France===
After the war, Kearny did a stint with the Army recruiting service in New York City. While there, he was presented with a sword by the [[Union Club of the City of New York|Union Club]] for his service during the war, and was brevetted to [[Major (United States)|major]].

In 1851, he was a member of a unit that saw action against the [[Tututni|Rogue River Indians]] in [[Oregon]]. After the failure of his marriage, frustrated with the slow promotion process of the Army, Kearny resigned his commission in October of that year. He embarked on a trip around the world, visiting China, [[Ceylon]], and France. In Paris, Kearny fell in love with a New York City woman named Agnes Maxwell, but was unable to marry her because his first wife would not grant him a divorce. In 1854, Kearny was injured when the horse he was riding fell through a rotten bridge. Maxwell moved in to take care of him.

By 1855, Agnes and Kearny had left New York to escape the disapproval of society. They settled in Kearny's new mansion, Bellegrove, overlooking the [[Passaic River]] (in what is now [[Kearny, New Jersey]]).  It was a short distance and across the river from his family's old manor in [[Newark, New Jersey]]. In 1858, his wife finally granted a divorce. Kearny and Maxwell moved to Paris, where they were married.

In 1859, Kearny returned to France, re-joining the ''Chasseurs d'Afrique'', who were at the time fighting against [[Empire of Austria|Austria]]n forces in Italy. Later, he was with [[Napoleon III]]'s [[Imperial Guard (Napoleon III)|Imperial Guard]] at the [[Battle of Solferino]], where he charged with the cavalry under ''Général'' [[:fr:Louis-Michel Morris|Louis-Michel Morris]], which penetrated the Austrian center and captured the key point of the battle. For this action, Kearny was awarded the French ''[[Légion d'honneur]]'', becoming the first U.S. citizen to be thus honored.

==Civil War==
When the [[American Civil War]] broke out in 1861, Kearny returned to the United States and was appointed a [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], commanding the [[First New Jersey Brigade]], which he trained. The Army had been reluctant to restore his commission due to his disability, but the shocking [[Union Army|Union]] defeat at the [[First Battle of Bull Run]] made them realize the importance of seasoned combat officers. His brigade, even after he left to command a [[division (military)|division]], performed spectacularly, especially at the [[Battle of Glendale]].
[[File:Portrait of Gen. Phil. Kearny by John R. Chapin.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Gen. Phil. Kearny by John R. Chapin]]
He received command of the 3rd Division of the [[III Corps (Union Army)|III Corps]] on April 30, 1862. He led the division into action at the [[Battle of Williamsburg]] and the [[Battle of Fair Oaks]]. At Williamsburg, as he led his troops onto the field, Kearny shouted (in a notable quote), "I'm a one-armed Jersey son-of-a-gun, follow me!" The general led the charge with his sword in hand, reins in his teeth. He is noted for urging his troops forward by declaring, "Don't worry, men, they'll all be firing at me!" His performance during the [[Peninsula Campaign]] earned him much respect from the army and his superiors.  He disliked the commander of the [[Army of the Potomac]], Maj. Gen. [[George B. McClellan]], whose orders (especially those to fall back) he frequently ignored. After the [[Battle of Malvern Hill]], which was a Union victory, McClellan ordered a withdrawal, and Kearny wrote:

{{Blockquote|I, Philip Kearny, an old soldier, enter my solemn protest against this order for retreat. We ought instead of retreating should follow up the enemy and take Richmond. And in full view of all responsible for such declaration, I say to you all, such an order can only be prompted by cowardice or treason.}}

Kearny is credited with devising the first [[Civil War Corps Badges|unit insignia patches]] used in the U.S. Army. In the summer of 1862, he issued an order that his officers should wear a patch of red cloth on the front of their caps to identify themselves as members of his unit. The enlisted men, with whom Kearny was quite popular, quickly followed suit voluntarily. Members of other units picked up on the idea, devising their own insignia, and these evolved over the years into the modern shoulder patch. ([[Daniel Butterfield]] is credited with taking Kearny's idea and standardizing it for all [[corps]] in the Army of the Potomac, designing most of the corps badges.) Kearny was promoted to [[Major general (United States)|major general]] on July 4, 1862, in a blanket promotion of McClellan's corps and division commanders.<ref>Warner, p. 259. Eicher, p. 328, claims this was a posthumous promotion, backdated to July, but histories of the Battle of Chantilly refer to him as a major general during the battle.</ref>

===Death===
[[File:Death of General Philip Kearny.jpg|thumb|Death of General Philip Kearny]]
[[File:General Kearney's funeral, 1912, F. Batt, 3rd F.A., Arlington Cemetery, (Virginia) LCCN2016852561.jpg|thumb|Kearney's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery (April 12, 1912)]]
[[File:Kearny Tomb.JPG|thumb|right|Dedicated in 1914, an equestrian statue by [[Edward Clark Potter]] marks Kearny's grave in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].]]

By the end of August 1862, General Kearny led his division at the disastrous [[Second Battle of Bull Run]], which saw the Union Army routed and nearly destroyed by [[Full General (CSA)|Gen.]] [[Robert E. Lee]]'s [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] [[Army of Northern Virginia]]. The Union army retreated toward Washington and fought with the pursuing Confederate corps under [[Stonewall Jackson]] on September 1, 1862, at the [[Battle of Chantilly]]. In a violent storm with lightning and pouring rain, Kearny decided to investigate a gap in the Union line. Responding to warnings of a subordinate, he said, "The Rebel bullet that can kill me has not yet been molded." Encountering Confederate troops, Kearny ignored a demand to surrender and, while he tried to escape on horseback, a "half dozen muskets fired" and he was shot with a [[Minié ball]] that entered his hip and came out his shoulder, killing him instantly.<ref>Smith, p. 63. None of the secondary sources in this article identify a particular man who shot Kearny. An [http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/telfair/newspapers/thesoldi2756nw.txt obituary notice] for a CSA Pvt. John McCrimmon of the 49th Georgia claims that he was the shooter.</ref> Confederate [[Maj. Gen. (CSA)|Maj. Gen.]] [[A.P. Hill]], upon hearing the gunfire, ran up to the body of the illustrious soldier with a lantern and exclaimed, "You've killed Phil Kearny! He deserved a better fate than to die in the mud."

Kearny's body was borne to the rear after the Confederates realized that a general officer had been killed. Confederate soldiers quickly proceeded to strip Kearny's body of his coat, boots, pocket watch, papers, and other items of value. However, after it was realized who the deceased was, Robert E. Lee ordered all of his belongings returned over the objections of poorly clad soldiers who protested that a dead man no longer needed a warm coat and boots. Kearny's papers were given to Lee for examination, but they merely consisted of personal letters to his wife and contained no useful military documents; Lee quickly burned them. General Lee sent his body back to the Union forces with a condolence note.

At the time of Kearny's death, there were rumors in Washington that President [[Abraham Lincoln]] was contemplating replacing [[George B. McClellan]] with "Kearny the Magnificent".

Kearny was buried at [[Trinity Churchyard]] in New York after his remains were transported from his residence in [[East Newark, New Jersey]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1862/09/05/archives/the-late-gen-kearney.html "The Late Gen. Kearney."], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 5, 1862. Accessed July 30, 2018. "The funeral of Major-Gen. Philip Kearney will take place at Trinity Church, in this City, on Saturday, Sept. 6, inst., at 3 P.M. He will be interred in his family vault in Trinity Churchyard. His relatives are invited to attend at his residence in East Newark, N.J., at 1 P.M., to accompany the remains to New-York."</ref> In 1912, his remains were exhumed and re-interred at [[Arlington National Cemetery]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgZrZWFybnkSBnBoaWxpcA--/ |title=Burial Detail: Kearny, Philip (Section 2, Grave S-8) Birth Date: 06/02/1815; Death Date: 09/01/1862; Interment Date: 04/12/1912 |work= ANC Explorer|publisher=Arlington National Cemetery |id=(Official website)}}</ref> where there is a statue by [[Edward Clark Potter]] in his honor, one of only two equestrian statues at Arlington.  The re-interment drive was spearheaded by [[Medal of Honor]] recipient [[Charles Ferren Hopkins|Charles F. Hopkins]], who had served under General Kearny in the First New Jersey Brigade. The statue was dedicated by President [[Woodrow Wilson]] in November 1914. It was refurbished in 1996 by the General Philip Kearny Memorial Committee, a New Jersey nonprofit corporation.

==Legacy and honors==

[[File:KEARNEY, PHILIP. MAJ., U.S.A. STATUE OF KEARNEY IN ARLINGTON, DEDICATED IN 1914 LCCN2016865953.jpg|thumb|President [[Woodrow Wilson]] spoke at the dedication of the statue marking Kearny's grave in Arlington National Cemetery (November 11, 1914).]]
[[File:Philip Kearny by Henry Kirke Brown, Newark, NJ.jpg|thumb|[[Statue of Philip Kearny|Statue]] in [[Military Park (Newark)|Military Park]], [[Newark, New Jersey]]]]
* The town of [[Kearny, New Jersey]], is named in his honor.  A statue honoring him was erected outside the main branch of the Kearny post office. The [[Kearny Museum]] contains a display of furniture from his Belle Grove home, donated by his granddaughter and second wife, as well as other Kearny memorabilia.
* [[Fort Kearny (Washington D.C.)|Fort Kearny]], near [[Tenleytown]], D.C., was named in his honor. It was part of the ring of defenses protecting the city of Washington, D.C.
* [[Fort Phil Kearny]] in [[Wyoming]] was named for him; it existed only two years.
* A [[Statue of Philip Kearny|statue of Kearny]] represents New Jersey in the [[National Statuary Hall Collection]] in the [[U.S. Capitol]].
* [https://www.visitmuskegon.org/blog/post/kearny-memorial-park-the-statue-and-fountain/ Kearny Memorial Park in Muskegon, MI] features a statue of Kearny and a fountain donated in his honor
* A statue of Kearny stands in [[Military Park (Newark)|Military Park]], Newark, New Jersey.
* A small monument in [[Ox Hill Battlefield Park]] commemorates Kearny's death.
* A bas-relief on the [[First New Jersey Brigade]] monument at [[Gettysburg Battlefield|Gettysburg]] commemorates Kearny's leadership, although he was killed prior to that battle.
* The General Philip Kearny Public School in [[Philadelphia]] was named for him when built in 1921.
* During [[World War II]], the [[United States Navy]] named a [[Liberty Ship]] the SS ''Philip Kearny''.
* [[Kearny County, Kansas]], is named for him.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hicks|first=Virginia Pierce|date=February 1938|title=Sketches of Early Days in Kearny County|journal=Kansas Historical Quarterly|volume=VII|issue=1|pages=54–80|url=http://www.kshs.org/publicat/khq/1938/38_1_hicks.htm|access-date=2007-01-04}}</ref>
* In 2017, Kearny was inducted into the [[New Jersey Hall of Fame]].

==See also==
{{Portal|American Civil War}}
* [[List of American Civil War generals (Union)]]
* [[Kearny Cross]]
* [[Battle of Solferino]], decisive Franco-Sardinian victory of [[Napoleon III]], [[Emperor of the French]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* De Peyster, John Watts. [https://books.google.com/books?id=NTFCAAAAIAAJ ''Personal and Military History of Philip Kearny, Major-General United States Volunteers'']. Elizabeth, NJ: Palmer & Co., 1869. {{OCLC|17692924}}.
* Dupuy, Trevor N., Curt Johnson, and David L. Bongard. ''[[Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography]]''. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. {{ISBN|978-0-06-270015-5}}.
* Eicher, John H., and [[David J. Eicher]]. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. {{ISBN|0-8047-3641-3}}.
* Schultz, Don. ''One-Armed Devil: A Novel of Phil Kearny in the Civil War''. Thomaston, ME: Maine Authors Publishing, 2024. 978-1-63381-423-3
* Smith, Derek. ''The Gallant Dead: Union & Confederate Generals Killed in the Civil War''. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2005. {{ISBN|0-8117-0132-8}}.
* Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. {{ISBN|0-8071-0822-7}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Philip Kearny}}
{{Appletons' Poster|Kearny, Lawrence|Philip Kearny|year=1892}}
* [http://dragoon1st.tripod.com/cw/kearny.html Index to Philip Kearny's Pages]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19991023101750/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/1316/kearny.html  "The One Armed Devil"]
* [http://www.peninsulacampaign.org/williamsburg.shtml Battle of Williamsburg]
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Kearny, Philip |short=x}}
* [http://www.civilwarhome.com/kearnybio.htm Civil War Home Biography]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20031205205830/http://philkearny.vcn.com/ Fort Phil Kearny site #1]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20031204222739/http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/kearny1.htm Wyoming State Parks on Fort Phil Kearney]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040613173248/http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/kearny.htm National Statuary Hall biography]
* {{cite web|url=http://arlingtoncemetery.net/kearny.htm|title=Philip Kearny|date=7 June 2023 |publisher=at ArlingtonCemetery.net|id=(Unofficial website)}}<!--non-RS [[WP:SPS]] website, do not use for citations -->

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearny, Philip}}
[[Category:1815 births]]
[[Category:1862 deaths]]
[[Category:Union army generals]]
[[Category:American military personnel of the Mexican–American War]]
[[Category:Members of the Aztec Club of 1847]]
[[Category:American amputees]]
[[Category:People from East Newark, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People of New Jersey in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Military personnel from New York City]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:Schuyler family]]
[[Category:American people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:De Peyster family]]
[[Category:Columbia College, Columbia University alumni]]