The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1891-10-03
GEN. B. F. KELLEY.
An Eloquent Memorial Address on this
Eminent Soldier Delivered at
Huntington.

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AT the late re union held at Hun
tington Capt Mckee delivered me.
mortal address on Gen. b. I. Kelley
1t wasa mastery effort. Below are
some extracts from it,
Benjamin Franklin Kelley at the
age of eighty four at his home near
Oakland, Nd, July 16, 1891, respond
ed to the last bugle call and was mum
bered with the army of the immor-
tai.
He was born in the town of New
Hampton, N. H., on the tenth day OF
April 1907. His parents were des-
cendents of two noted families. He
was placed in military school when
quite young to prepare for West
Point, but the death of his father
changed his plans. He displayed a
fondness for military pursuits when
quite young. At nineteen years of
age he settled in Ohio county, in the
town Of West Liberty Two years
later he engaged in business in Wheel
ing, where he married the daughter
of John Goshorn, Esq, by whom he
had six children. Three or four sons
bore arms for the Union. In 1850 he
removed to Philadelphia. In 1866 he
married Miss Mary Glare Bruce, with
whom he shared the golden years of
his manhood, and whose presence
here to-day brings with her the
blessed memory of the dead.
The state OF public mind at the
time our subject became factor in
the great problem that was awaiting
settlement may be best understood
by the following statement: Early
in April the loyal men of the Pan
Handle made application to the Sec
rotary of War for arms. This was
refused, but at the application of Da-
yid Fleming, H. w. Carruthers, Gen.
Duval and others, the Governor of
Pennsylvania furnished arms under
bond, and sent them to Wellsburg,
not daring to send them to Wheel
ing.
After an absence of ten years, Mr..
Kelley was unanimously chosen Colo
mel of this Regiment. By order of
Gen. Mcclellan, he was placed in
command of q division composed of
First Virginia Volunteers, and on
the End of June, moved in co-opera-
ton with Col. Dumont's division on
the enemies forces collected at Phil
ippi, Barbour county, Virginia. This
was the first battle of the rebellion.
In this battle he received wound
supposed at the time to be mortal.
He was the first officer wounded in
battle in the war of the rebellion.
Recovering from his wound he re-
ceived commission as Brigadier
General of the United States Volun-
teers. President Lincoln sent his
name for confirmation to the Senate,
along with Porter, Sherman, Hooker,
Grant and Baker.
Capt. Mckee gave in detail the
glorious record of Gen. Kelley. He
received at one time the following
from Gen. Townsend: "Your late
movement upon and signal victory
at Romney does you great honor in
the opinion of the President and
Lieutenant General Scott
On the 18th of June, 1868, he ar
rived at New Creek, w. Va, and
there proceeded to take measures for
the defence of West Virginia against
an expected raid directing movements
of that portion of the LIST Division.
On the oath of June Gen. Kelley
was assigned to the command of the
Department of West Virginia This
was the first and only instance in the
war, where brigadier genera COM
manded department. General KEEL
ley never served on any court mar
tial or military commission, nor was
he ever out of service from taking
command of his regiment May "a,
1861, to the date of his exchange as
a prisoner of War April, 1865, except
during the time he was under surgi-
cal treatment for wound.
The peroration of the memorial
address was of superior order of ex-
cellence and was in substance as fol-
lows:
Gen. Kelley occupied an important
place in the history of West Virginia.
The distinguished service rendered
by him is not recognized by the hur-
ried multitude that crowds the busy
street, but in the minds of the obser-
ing few who study the events of his
tory his achievements are not forgot
ten. If choice is to be determined
by the results that have followed,
Kelley must stand as the foremost
citizen of the State in his brief his
tory. 1t was he who opened the
gateway of the mountain Businesses
and gave to the citizens of West Vir.
ginia the possibility of peaceably as
sembling, and then he pushed his
sentinels far to the south and set ar
mics on her borders, while the peo-
pie organized and brought forth
new commonwealth to sit in the fam
lily of states.
If you would teach your child to
honor the good man. place before
him his country's flag and ask him
to count the stars in its constella,
ton; tell him to mark the thirty
fifth star, see within it's scintillations
the glorious light of the storm born
State. If he would remember that
star he must learn the story of this
man.