Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-12-01
GEN McKENNY'S WAR RECORD
Some Interesting Incidents Connected with his
Services in the Civil War.

Everything connected with the pub
lie services Of prominent citizen has
an interest for hi, friends. and c-pe-
cially anythin. apportaining to Il war
OF the magnitude and Importance of
the struggle to suppress rebellion,
when for many months the fate OF the
nation seemed suspended on an even
! balance.
1t was only five days after the firing
on Fort Sumpter that we find the cit
liens OF keokuk, Iowa, recognizing
the keoknk Guards" for active SER
vice under the starry flag. They be-
came Co. A in the Second Regiment
of Iowa Infantry. Upon organization
OF the regiment, with Samuel X. Cur
It's as Colonel, Lieutenant T. |. Nc
Kenny was promoted to be Regimental
Adlutant. He served with Gen. Cur
tbs throughout the Missouri and Ar
kansas campaigns, until the capture of
Helena, Sept. Odd. 1851. Curtis hay
ing been appointed Brlgadier General,
Lieut.. Mckcnny was chosen to fill the
position OF acting Adjutant General
on his staff, with the rank of Major;
April 18th, 1862, he was made Colonel
and March 18th, 1863, Brevet Colonel
and Brigadicr General of U. S. Volun-
trcrs, and his biographers say, "There
was no more patriotic man, no Drawer
soldier nor more intrepid officer, than
Gen. Il. |. Mckenny." He carried in
his head rebel ball as confirmation
of his patriotic devotion to duty, hav-
ing been shot in fight at Cross Hol-
lows, near by where the battle of Pea
Ridge was fought and a few days before
that contest. The ball was never ex-
tracted and left its effects till his
death.
An incident occurring ut the out
break of the war, is worthy of men
ton. Judge Love, of Keokuk, now
dead, had been Captain in the Next
can war. He had kept as priced me-
mento the sword worn by him on the
field of battle. When the call to arms
was issued, in 1861, he publicly an
nounced that he would present his
cherished weapon to the first Demo-
crat who might respond to the call for
volunteers in the Union army enrolled
at keokuk. The sword went to II. |.
McKenny, who presumably wore it
during the war of rebellion, as it was
one of the most cherished trophies left
by our respected tOwnsman.
| Among the incidents at the begin
ming of service o. the Second Iowa,
it is related that Lieut.. McKenny was
sent. with a guard, to the levee, to
hold a large steamer, to be used in
transportation of troops down the riv-
err. The captain of the boat declared
he would leave on time for st. Louis.
The young officer Immediately sta.
toned a guard with instructions to
shoot the first man who touched one of
the shore-line. The steamer did not
leave con time," and when it did go
carried the Iowa soldiers as enforced
passengers. On another occasion,
where quick and decisive action was
required, and considerable responsible.
ty involved, Lieut.. McKenny grasped
a musket from the hands of a soldier.
and shot q Confederate who was tar
ing bridge preparatory to burning it.
At decisive moments he appears always
to have been the proper man in the
right place.
Later on, while Gen. McKenny was
on the staff of Gen. Curtis. Fremont
was at Springfield, Mo-, with the cable
cut and guarding his own commission
with a picket line that seemed impreg-
nable. President Lincoln became inn
patient and wrote an order relieving
Fremont and giving the command to
Hunter. The Presidents order was
not to be delivered if Fremont had
fought or was about to fight a battle.
but while there was no signs of battle
The difficulty in getting the order to
Fremont was great. How it was &C.
complished is told in an interview
with General McKenny for Ida NJ.
Tarbell's life of Lincoln in the Nc
Ciure for last March.
General McKenny's story OF the
trip is that at 3 o'clock on the night
of October 81, 1861, he was called to
the headquarters of General Curtis
who told him he was to take Lincoln's
order to Fremont, after he had found
the latter. McKenny at once went to
st. Louis, walked up dealer in Sec
ond hand clothing and fitted himself
out as a Southern planter He took
the train for Rolla and left there at 2
o'clock in the morning, horseback, for
Springfield. He rode lit miles chiefly
in the night, passing through rebel
villages and small towns at rapid
gait. He found Fremont's pickets
and had great difficulty in getting
through, their orders being very strict,
but finally succeeded by telling them
he had important information for
Fremont. When he got to headquar-
tiers the officer of the day told him he
could not see Fremont, and the chief
of staff told him the same thing when
he got that far along. Colonel Eaton,
chief of staff, said he would commune
, cate the business to Fremont if told
what it was, but McKenny would not
; have it that way, and hours aftcrward
Fremont decided to see him, to obtain
the information the so.called planter
said he had.
Once in Fremont's Office, McKenny
ripped the order out of his coat and
handed it to Fremont, who nervously
took and opened it. After a glance at
the superscription and signature. be.
fore reading the body of it, Fremont
looked black and slammed the paper
. down upon the table asking how Nc
Kenny got through the lines. which
information McKenny gave him, and
was then unceremoniously waved out
. McKenny had orders to make the
: contents of the document known as
/. soon as he delivered it and proceeded
>. to do so before Colonel Eaton got to
him with request that it be kept
quiet for the present, as Fremont only