Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-01
A HERO OF THE WAR.
Gen. Kelley Whose Blood Was the First
Given in Union Cause.
WASHINGTON Star

Il " NbNtt1tOh otuf.
Col. 3. F. Hawkes., OF the pension
! Office, possesses a curious memento OF
/ the first blOOdshed of the late civil war.
IL is the first blood drawn from the
veins Of federal officer by confeder-
ate fire.
Talking about war times with star
reporter the other evening, Col. Hawkes.
took the paper from little bundle ne
carried and held up for inspection q
low-cut gray vest OF sort OF pepper
and-salt" pattern, bound about the
edges with brown silk cord and orna-
mented with buttons that looked ike
| bullets. IL had been rather dressy
garment of civilian before the war
On the other side little forward OF the
arm hole was d ragged hole about Ihe
size of a mans thumb. Below TINS
dark stain ran down, spreading uhUA ~
covered nearly all one side OF the vest
On the inside this stain colored Ine Gu
tire lining of the vest. The garment
was soaked with blood that had dfleu
into it and had stiffened IL ike raw
hide liz
That said Col. Hawkes., sis a rene
of the first bloOdshed of the civil war,
The vest was worn by Gen. then Ootl
q. T. Kelley, who commanded az w
battle of Philppi, the first OattIe Vi Vno
war. and who was the first oihcer Old nv Il'o
Federal side TO receive wound. Inc
hail. fired in a volley of the rear guard
IF the retreating ConfedcraieS, entered
where Won see that rent, passed through
The Generals lungs and came out Just
belov tbe shoulder blade. ! was his
adiutant and was with him there. When
we saw him lying there, with the blood
snurtiDe from the wound as II forced
out With pump, no one expected MN
tn live more than few minutes The
surgeon at the hospital pronounced the
wound mortal, and it was so reported to
Cen. Mcclellan, but the General never
left the front, and in less than sixty
DAYS was again i'm command. lie Is now
eightv-four years Old. and, as he was the
first officer TO fall i'm the cause Of the
Union, he Will be among the last Of the
brave generals to pass away"
Gen. Kelley commanded the first fed
eral troops who marched on confederate
SOIL He raised the first Virginia regi-
ment and iuaugurated the aggressive
warfare. He took command of the firSt
regiment raised in Western Virginia
on the 25th of May, 81, and few days
later marched against the cOnfederates
under Porterfield. The struggle then
was to prevent the people of that see
ton from entering the confederacy, aud |
out Of it grew the State Of West Viz /
yinia. KalleyS troops were without /
uniform and equipment, and were armed /.
with any sort of guns, knives and pis- /
tolls they could get. Some had rifles, .
some muSkets and some ShotgunS. The .
Generals only uniform was his outer .
coat. The cOnfederateS against whom .
be was conteuding were at one hour ia .
he field blowing, and at the next
mounted ON their plow horses in the .
'ankS of COL Porterleld, and then again
hey were at their plows as peaceful
iilerS of the soil.
At 4 o'clock on the Sd OF June, 81,
1ol. Kelley, supported by Indiana and
ohio regiments, made an attack on the
,0nfederatoS at Phillippi, driving them
rom their position in confusion, thus
beginning the actual fighting Of the
var aud from his own body giving the
Hood for the first baptism Of blood
After this he was made Brigader
General, and his operations in West
'irginia during the rest Of the war were
f great service to the government and
Won Tor him nigh commentator.
AZ the eoF P2ttlte VI tjRemRe9ss Won, hs
his troops from a carriage.
eing not yeJsulicientiy recovered from
lis wound To ride a horse. After the
var he held a position in the
.ension Office at Washington un-
II he got TO Ue seventy
light years old and retired from
ctive life. Since then he has divided
is time between Washington and his
ountry place. the Swan Meadows,
ear Oakland, Md. He is now so old
nd feeble that his death is expected at
nv time, bat his mind is as clearand as
igorouS as ever. The military spirit
sin remains with him, and he is making
SLOW and orderly retreat before the
,reat Destroyer.
While Col. Hawkes. and the star re-
.orter were examining the biood-stalned
est they found in one of the pockets Il
,ass. written ON a slip of paper torn
rom a letter, It had been written by
Gem. Kelley eight days before the battle
md had been In the vest pocket ever
iucc. Ii read: "May %, 1861. Pass
.Ir. Carroll and friend. b. L. KELLEY,
'ol LIST reg"
Attorney Johns, on's Sudden Death.