The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-22
MEMORIES OF KHARNY.
Interesting Account of His
Early Life by His
Daughter.
PLAYED WITH TOY SOLDIERS
His Campaign in Africa-How
He Lost His Arm.

Mrs. F. w. Selfridge. daughter of Gen
eral Phil Kearny. the anniversary Of
whose death at the battle OF Chantilly
was recently commemorated in Newark,
has written some highly interesting re :
miniscences of her gallant father. garn'
cred from various sources.
Young Kearny's grandfather. the
Hon. John Watts, detected his martial
spirit at a very early day and sought tc
lead him into a more peaceful life by
Offering him 81. 500 a year If he
would study for the ministry. This
was while Kearny was a student
in Columbia College. The sum
WAS a large one for the day, but the
young man withstood the tempting offer.
He WAS of Scotch Irish extraction. and
the original family name was kearny
| O'Clearman, signifying 1.-THE soldier with
the brave haud." Never was q boy more
fttingly named.
He PLAYED SOLDIERS.
General Kearny and his brilliant cousin,
afterward General De Peysier, played at
war together when children. They had
thousand of leaden soldiers, both foot
and horse, aud cancns with springs in
them which fired a tiny wooden projectile
| with considerable force, rs the furniture
in the nursery amply testified. In this
manner the boys studied the rudiments
of war, and it is related of Kearny that
he kept up his nance uvers with his toy
soldiers even while u student at Column
bIa.
Kearny first visited Europe in 1884, and
about the only thing that interested him
was the evolution of the troops in the
various countries where he went. He
loved military display, aud when q young
| nan affandH6 a hall in rha grand dino nj
palace at Ficrence clad in a full! suit of
armor which weighed over seventy-five
pounds. Later he created dismay al a
particularly gorgeous ball given by Com
modore Stevens in New York. by appears
ing az a KabYle chieftain III full native
dress with u severed head at his belt. He
was, made to move the head, which was
made of sugar.
HIS CAMPAIGN IN AFRICA.
KearDy first participated in actual
war in Africa while attending tie
Due d'Orleans on his campaign.
Here among the narrowest mountain
passes, against an intrepid and PREACHER
a most brilliant campaign carried
through under appalling difficulties. He
took part in every charge, in every danger
and hardship. ready to meet the Arabs
yataghan with his sabre. 1t was here he
learned the style of fighting which made
I'LL Ill uDlQuo 4lROEO III IL SINlI w AF.
The Arabs would hover arouud a column
all day with wild yells of "Lu-Lu!" gal
looping up without order to within so or
100 yards of the French sharpshooters
and d%ischarging their rifes at full speed +.
The horses would then turn of of their
wi accord, the riders loading their pieces
as they refreshed; and this Was repeated
again aud again all day long.
Kearny lost his left arm at C%hurubusco
in the Mexican War. Ihe remnant Of
one infantry brigade was fighting des-
peratelV at a brigade over ID causeway,
and they were utnum bered and were
slo wly but surely being cut to pieces.
Suddenly Kearny's troop of dragons,
whom he had drilled himself and
equipped at his W expense, came tear
ing up at ~breakneck speed.
A GALLANT CHARGE.
They were going at full gallop in halt
sections of twos, the men with sfoped
sabres, the horses with snorting nostrils,
each buried in the spread tail of that
preceding him; the hoofs of all striking
simultaneously. on the firm crown OF the
cause way, as if they were galloping to
set music. At their head rods a man of
slight stature, with light-colored hair
and q complexion to correspond. A LONG,
tawny moustache became the clas-
aquiline nose that surmounted it.
They were the features belonging to a
natural born commander, aud looked in
their place at the head Of q charging
troop. They were the features of Phil
kearuy. Scarce had the dragons charged
past when an aio-de-camp rode furiously
up to stay the p~ursuit-further on the
thrown a parapet across it, with the usual
posse inside. But on MY father dashed
at the head of his troop, riding at q wild
gallop, and. leapinG his horse into the
works, he cleared both ditch and paraper
with a bound. On the causeway the
Mexicans, confounded. were in tumuIr-
uous disorder. trampl1ng one an other
under foot. aud the American drsgoo Gus,
dashing up on fleet horses. had horribly
increased their fright. General Santa
Anna succeeded III reaching the garrison
of San Antonio, aud after him came The
Mexicaus and the victorious dragons,
all interminRled In the intoxlcation or
the bloody fray. Facing about the Next
can gus were again levelied along tue
causeway. and-let the Mexican official
report tell the rest
STRUCK DOWN.
SAT this moment au officer, in the uni
form OF blue, penetrated through the low
eartheIn rampant mounted on his horse.
dealing saber blows. and falling wounded
on the es~planade.
MANY swords were drawn to kill him,
but the others also FASTENED to defend
him on seeing him fail. He rosa crippled,
radiant with valor, and smiling at the
felicity Of being within the gates of The
capital"
OF course the officer was General
Kearny. Cheers ram out as he rode
along the causeway back to his own lines,
a sleeve hanging limp aud loose. Veter-
ans and cavalrymen cried out that never
before had they witnessed d charge so
perfect, SO compact, so dashlng. as that
led by Phil Kearny along the cause way
of San Antonio de Abai.
The left arm, shattered by the Mexican
canister, was amputated close to the
shoulder. General Pierce of New Aamp-
shire holding Kearny's head.
He was awarded a brevet for distin-
| guished gallantry In action. and the
Union Club Of New York, of which he
was a member, presented him with a
superb sword sncased in a scabbard of
solid silver, ornamented with a SIX etch of
the battle of Churubusco; and the sword
| rested beside him when his body lay in
state fifteen years later.
GOVERNMENT TROOPS In POSSE SSION
D.. Till. . - A. y,s4.< d..