The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-12-08
ONE-ARMED PHIL.
Passages in the Life OF One OF Our
Fighting Mon.
"Gath" In Cincinnati Enquirer.

''Gath" in Cincinnati Enquirer
| Philip kearney was OF Iluguenot stork,
which differed with Puritan ia possessing
with it, calviniSm the peculiar French
! gayety he was great granichild Of John
Watts and of Ann Delaney. lie was Il grand
son OF William Alexander, the socalled Earl
OF Sterling, one of our patriot generals, whose
child married her first cousin, John Watts
K"arney. The Watts family were Indian.
fighters, and some Of them were n the British
army under Wellington.
! The kcarucys wero mere Irish people. Tho
| first kearneys came from Ireland direct to
the region about Long Branch, New Jersey,
and had sou who became q LAWYER. This
lawyer had sons who wcro Tories One son
removed to newark, ~ j., and became the
! great. grandfather Of General ke4rney, whore,
own father was Stephen Watts kearney.
| kearney's father was In the second war with
| England; was made prisoner, ani continuing
In the United States service became one ~
the conquerors Of California aud Nsw
Mexico
| Ihil Kearney was born at the foot of
broadway, Nav York city, about lSlb ln
childhood he lecame "A splendid horsenan
! His father had country house near Newark,
but mainly lived in New York city While
hc was very young his mother died ip New
York
! Kearney was sent to Northampton school,
Fept by George Bancroft, the historian,
wher" he showed gentle and oiniab!e char
ac'er, and Uas docile anh ol'cdient he next
went to school at Cold Spring, Opposite West
Point n V. and there it il said he imhiled
the military spirit. Iie begsn to neglect his
studies and told his teachers that he would
Eever be good for anything unless he went TO
West Point. At the second school le devel-
cped his hold and daring character, his gym
nastic feats, and was strong pedestrian.
though he gave no trouble 10 the teachers.
His relatives say he was big hoy, proud and
shy, aud averse TO general associations, and
was fond of dress and of a neat person and
walked in boyhood as il he were already ala
officer He went through Columbia college,
studied law, it has been said, and visited
Europe in 1884, and he was already fired with
the enthusiasm Of warfare. Ills rich grand
father died when he was 81, and the hoy then
free Ia enter the army without losing his in
heritance, solicited and obtained an appoint
meIt in the First dragons, commanded by
his own uncle
| Nc resigned from the army I'm lS+6, not sup
posing that the Mexican war was really to
como about The moment the war began hs
asked Ia be restored to his rank and at once
joinei his regiment and gave private bounties
for first class men and assisted to pay for the
horses they were mounted on. He raised his
company at Springfield, ILL.,, where, il is said,
he made the acquaintance Of Abraham Lin
coin, a lawyer and legislator Mt that placc.
Az he passed through New Orleans with his
company it attracted much attention, the
horses being all gray, their trappings splendid
and their drill complete From Vera Cruz
! ~ Mexico City Kearney rode In company with
Semmes, afterward the rebel admiral.
At the battle of Cherub,Isco, Koarney, who
was i'm Pillows division, wanted to charge
with his Dragons. He charged mile aud
half over q catlseway, overlook the flying
Mexicans half n mile outside Of one of the
city gates and immediately began to sabre
them. In the excitement Of the fight he and
his ,nen did not hear the recall The Mex
leans were rushing over ditch to get into
their works and Kearney threw himself of
his horse and started after them. The last
thing he remembered was a Mexican officer
pointing him out to his infantry and saying,
"sshoot him down" Several Of his Inen were
killed around him. A Mexican account OF
this fight says: THE American dragons,
mounted on feet horses, coming up 10 our
rear guard increased the fight by crushing
those whom they met In their way. Gen.
Santa Anna reached the Garita OF San An
tonic, aud after him tho rest Of our troops
cut tn pieces anil mixed up with som, OF the
enemy's dragons intoxicated with blood.
| The guns discharged some grape-shot among
these, and the infantry, feeling that the en-
trance was now covered, opened IL thick fire
along the causeway, animated by the
presence Of Gen santa Anna, who person
ully commanded them. At this moment IN
American officer n. u uniform OF blue pene
truted through the low earthen rampant
mounted on his horse, sword in hand dealing
sabre blows and falling wounded on the cs-
pianade Many swords were drawn t. kill
him, but the others also hastened to defend
him on seeing him fall. He rose crippled,
radiant with valOr and smiling at the felicity
of being at the gates Of the capital"
| Kearney then endeavored to escape on one
Of the dragoon horses along tho ca,iseway,
but the Mexicans continued to fire grape,
and one hall shattered the bone Of his left
arm between his elbow and shoulder. His
pain was terrible, but for a while lie kept the
saddle, till the flow of blood ~, exhausted
him that he was about to fall but fell into a
| group Of American soldiers, who stanched
the blood, put him in a blanket and bore him
TO the hospital, whore the arm was ampu-
tated. II is said that during the amputation
Franklin in Pierce, afterward president ~ the
United States, held his head Hardly any Of
the arm was left, as it had tn be taken or
close to the shoulder. 1t is pity that man
who performed an act like Kearney should
not have found a modest biographer. who
would have told the plain story of his good
| LAT hal hxa int a h. Ia,
Imagination of the readers On the contrary,
Con Kear,,ey's life has been written 10y his
cousin, with all kinds Ut diversions and mill.
tary foolery ami essays about ancient war in
| il, and paragraphs of italics claiming for him
all sorts Of great performances. Happily the
man had SO much in him that he can not I've
killed of by steep and eccentric book.
After the Mexican war Kearney was pat ON
recruiting service in New York city for more
than two years Having rich family con
ne,tion he enjoyed himself. led rather fast
life, and added portion to his ancestral seat
near Newark. The Union club gave him q
gold sword--the same which was claspet in
his arms when dead. fifteen years afterward.
| Kcaruey was prominent la the battles of
Seven Pines aud Fair Oaks He wrote on
The e3d Of June after the apathy succeeding
Fair Oaks and Stewards raid aroused the
army: Here we are again ut a deadlock.
Manassas over again; both parties in
trenched up to their eyes; both waiting for
something; unuckly our adversaries gaining
two TO our one. Our last chance to conquer
Richmond was thrown away when our great
hattie of Fair Oaks was thrown away. We
had tempted the enemy 81 attack while
divided by the Chickahominy. Unfortun.
ately he failed The prestige nearly lost to
" by our inactIon since Williamsburg was
once more In the ascendency. II only re.
quircd Mcclellan to put forth moral force
and his military might and Richmond would
have been ours lam puzzled W divine the
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