The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-07-16

| HfINel III atA- liNtNlSil- away = AiAc"A- -
the ''Kearn-y division throughout the
army
For ii long time ai.-r krarney's death,
! without any oiiiciili os,. -. or concert Of
action on the part Of officers or n.eu,
the red pafches were draped ia mourning.
| The division under thr commmand Of
Major General Stuneman, joined the
| army of the. Potomac again ia October,
| 1862, and it was u noted fact. AMI the
subject Of remark in the army that dur
ing iII,. MARCHES aud campaigns, ending
with disaster nt fredericksburg, IA
"Krarnry patch" was n rarity among
stragglers.
1t is stated, npon reliable authority,
that wherever any Uf the men of this
division were found 10y the rebels upon
tlIe field Of battle with the kearney red
patch upon them, if wounded, they We're
kindly cared for, and If dead, were bu-
ried with all tlie hOnors of war, and their
graves 80 marked "a to be readily recOg-
nizrd. Colonel Amor \. Mcknight, of
the 1Ojth Pennsylvania volunteers, kill
ed May 3. 1Stii, at the battle of Clan
cellorsvilIe, WAS So buried, his body fol
lowed to th,. grave 10y guard of honor.
many officers of the rebel army being
present. A band played funeral dirge,
while over his remains wHs fired the
usual salute due an officer uf his rank.
The ''rcd patch OF the kearney division
thus became very popular, and especial
Iy so after The battle of fredericksburg,
and the men and officers were very
proud of wearing il.
Major General Hooker was assigned to
the command of the army of the POtO-
mae in January, 1873 andtienerll Butter
field became his chief of staff. And it is to
him that all credit is due for the devel-
opmcnt of the corps badge first intro
duccd 10y Major General Philip krarnry
in his division.
General Hooker did away with the
grand divisions formed by his predeccs-
sor and the army was divided into seven
corps. Ii wac late in April, 1863, just n
few days before the battle of Chancel-
lorsVillc, that General Butteriicld issued
IL circular order designating the badges
of the different cOrps-badges that a[-
forwards became embIcms of honor, and
are to day worn with pride and affection.
To the first corps Were given a circle;
the second corps trrfoil, lowing, no Odoubt
to the fact that the famous Irish Brigade
formed part of it,; the third corps, n
diamond or lozenge; fifth corps, Maltese
cross; sixth corps, Grecian cross; elev-
enth corps, crescent; twelfth corps, five
pointed star The divisions were deSig-
mated by colors red for the first, white
for the second, blue for the third and
green for the fourth.
The third corps owing To the kearnry
division. which had become the first di-
vision of the corps by reason of the old
first division being detached and made
the fifth corps, having become identified
with the diamond patch, the diamond
patch was given to the third as its dis
tinctive mark, and this mark they were
allowed to retain to the close OF the war.
For it viii he remembered TINT in the
spring of 1864 the third corps was con
solidated into two divisions and formed
the third and fourth divisions Of the see
ond corps.
Ia the fall of 1Sti:' the eleventh and
twelfth corps were detached fron the
army OF iirr i',.tonac, placed under the
command of Ma ioT tIsnrr.tl Hooker and
sent Ia the relief Of the Western army,
hrsirgcd at Chattanooga. Their history,
during the brilliant campaign tltat fol-
bowed, is we'll known throughout the
length nnd breadth of the laud
Prior Ia the advent OF Hooker two
corps of the army Cf the i.otoiIa,. III the
GOuii ,Y,st, np,hmg in ihe shape OF n
corps badge or marx of distinction lad
been known ia tin, armies operating in
thai region. The contagion thus intro
duced by Hooker's veterans spread rap
idly, and 500 1 every Lrny corps had its
badge. Some of them have legends,
but do not recolleet any Of tlem.