The colored American., 1902-06-21
CAPTAIN T S KELLY.
,,-.or FIeetwood's RecolleCtions
noi0 f 056. Career Of a Noted Char
o,.r Stirring Incidents In
war and Po itics

short lllHC dSO W ~.
3~,rh Of Captain T. S. Kelly who had
G,-o r,-r for wears 50 we'll known as a resi-
5-, Il this district. The following
I[i-f I[5- Sketch is furnished by a former
D.,[- ,--,de Major c. A. Fleetwood, who
,g-., - Nv first meeting with the late
I'm occurred at Camp Belger, Bal
-. 80. Md. in July, 1868, when he, IN
nm nm. with the late Col. George M.
I,o-.,-,FfIJ lwbo met with such a tragic
-.t IN the Old Ford's Theatre build
w. !, lime. OBJ. came out to and en-
I'D ii.o in. the Fourth Regiment, y. ).
.1ilT~d troops. of which | was then the
--..nt major AS learned in our sub
7.,7,.rt acquaintance, he was born IN
,Go,,.ta Ca. but at the time OF the war
LaT drifrrd 10 New Orleans, La. SIN
,I-Isry l,-, enough, his first knowledge OF
s7,,I,,,rv drill had been picked up from
~ssoriation with the Southern soldlery,
+, aopears that a military. company had
I-rn organized in New Orleans, whose
,lrnlbrrSbip was confined to wealthy
,''nno society men, who bore all OF their
5,.n exnenses. The popular music OF
those d9ys was the drum and hte, and
s;-ilar military organizations IN the
Con,h generally employed colored mer
~ her musicians. To this particular
.or,n,nv Kelly was the filter. The
name Of the organization has escaped my
rner,orv After the war had gone on foI
o time and men became presSlngly need
n II appears that this company entered
the field with Kelly still one OF its mu'
.;riqns hut of course not enlisted OF
.uorn into the service of the Z. ,. a
Fv-otually they reached Richmond. Va
when al. the first favorable opportunity
Erlh- Arnold and ThOs. r. Hawkins
an Of whom were warm friends IN New
Orleans. got together IN KlchInohu
slipped through the rebel lines, were
taken into the Union lines and reached
Baltimore city. Hawkins had relative!
IN Philadelphia and posted on there a
once Kelly and Arnold having no rel
atives or acquaintance IN this SectloI
came out to our Camn and enlisted. Botf
of them were fairly we'll educated meI
Remarkably so. coming from the Soutf
at that period) and as good writers were
AT premium in my regiment. each wa!
given an excellent place, Arnold a
regiment hospital steward and Kelly a
FIRST sergeant of Co. {. By singular
coincidence. shortly after our arrival a
Yorktown, Va, in September, 1868, w,
were ioined BY the Sixth Regiment. u
S. colored troops. organized in Phlla
delphia. Pa in which Hawkins turne'
up as its sergeant major, and the TIVE
were reunited Kelly remained first ser
gcant of Co c until near the end OF tn
year 1864. when he was put in charge o
the regimental field music. After tn
closeruf the wary while doing duty Il
North Carolina.z eur lieutenant colone
A. S. Boernstein, by name, thoroug
musician as we'll as soldier, organized
regimental brass band, in which Kell
Aaved first COrnet, and was appolnte
band leader, serving in this capaclt
until our muster out in Nav, 1860, a
Washington, d. c.
He drifted about between Baltimor
and Washington, principally, believe
until January 20, 1867. when he re-en
listed at Baltimore, Md, and was as
signed To the band of the Fortleth u
Infantry and appointed principal muSl
Cian in the same, July I, 1867. In Marc1
IS61 the Thirty-ninth and Forfeit
regiments o. s Infantrv were consoll
dated and became the Twenty-ffth Z
5. Infantry. in which he continued unit
January TO, 1870, when he was dis
charged by reason of exniratiOn of IN
term Of service. and this time at Jackson
Barracks. New Orleans. La, the cit,
from which he first started his militar.
experience.
He settled down in New Orleans ant
took an active part IN politics. During
the troublous times there he was EN-
b-oyed at the. State capitol and was door
kaen.r q, L. IT,, lrn,.ar,,nr Nm pit