Philip Kearny Philip Kearny , Jr . ( ; June 2 , 1815 – September 1 , 1862 ) was a United States Army officer , notable for his leadership in the Mexican - American War and American Civil War . He was killed in action in the 1862 Battle of Chantilly . Early life and career . Kearny was born in New York City to a wealthy family . His father and mother were Philip Kearny , Sr . , and Susan Watts . His maternal grandfather John Watts , the last Royal Recorder of New York City , was one of New York ' s wealthiest residents , who had vast holdings in ships , mills , factories , banks , and investment houses . Kearny ' s father was a Harvard - educated , New York City financier who owned his own brokerage firm and was also a founder of the New York Stock Exchange . Early in life , Kearny desired a career in the military . His parents died when he was young , and he was consequently raised by his grandfather . Against the younger Kearny ' s wishes , his guardian insisted that Kearny pursue a law career . Kearny attended Columbia College , attaining a law degree in 1833 . His cousin John Watts de Peyster , who had also attended Columbia , wrote the first authoritative biography on Kearny . In 1836 , his grandfather died , leaving Kearny a fortune of over $ 1 million . He chose to make the army his profession . The following year , Kearny obtained a commission as a second lieutenant of cavalry , assigned to the 1st U . S . Dragoons , who were commanded by his uncle , Colonel Stephen W . Kearny , and whose adjutant general was Jefferson Davis . The regiment was assigned to the western frontier . Kearny was sent to France in 1839 to study cavalry tactics , first attending school at the famous cavalry school in Saumur . He participated in several combat engagements with the " Chasseurs d ' Afrique " in Algiers . Kearny rode into battle with a sword in his right hand , pistol in his left , and the reins in his teeth , as was the style of the Chasseurs . His fearless character in battle earned him the nickname by his French comrades " Kearny le Magnifique , " or Kearny the Magnificent . He returned to the United States in the fall of 1840 and prepared a cavalry manual for the Army based on his experiences overseas . Shortly afterward , Kearny was designated aide - de - camp to General Alexander Macomb , and served in this position until Macomb ' s death in June 1841 . After a few months at the cavalry barracks in Carlisle , Pennsylvania , Kearny was assigned to the staff of General Winfield Scott , soon becoming his aide - de - camp . He did additional duty on the frontier , accompanying his uncle ' s unit on an expedition to the South Pass of the Oregon Trail in 1845 . War with Mexico . Kearny , disappointed with the lack of fighting he was seeing in the Army , resigned his commission in 1846 , but returned to duty a month later at of the outbreak of the Mexican - American War . Kearny was assigned to raise a troop of cavalry for the 1st U . S . Dragoons , Company F , in Terre Haute , Indiana . He spared no expense in recruiting his men and acquired 120 matched dapple gray horses with his own money . The unit was originally stationed at the Rio Grande but soon became the personal bodyguard for General Scott , the commander - in - chief of the Army in Mexico . Kearny was promoted to captain in December 1846 . Kearny and his men participated in the battles of Contreras and Churubusco ; in the latter engagement , Kearny led a daring cavalry charge and suffered a grapeshot wound to his left arm . It later had to be amputated . Kearny ' s courage earned him the respect of his soldiers and fellow officers alike ; General - in - Chief Winfield Scott called him " a perfect soldier " and " the bravest man I ever knew . " Kearny quickly returned to duty . When the U . S . Army entered Mexico City the following month , he had the personal distinction of being the first man through the gates of the city . Resignation and service in France . After the war , Kearny did a stint with the Army recruiting service in New York City . While there , he was presented with a sword by the Union Club for his service during the war , and was brevetted to major . In 1851 , he was a member of a unit that saw action against the Rogue River Native American tribe in Oregon . After the failure of his marriage , frustrated with the slow promotion process of the Army , Kearny resigned his commission in October of that year . He embarked on a trip around the world , visiting China , Ceylon , and France . In Paris , Kearny fell in love with a New York City woman named Agnes Maxwell , but was unable to marry her because his first wife would not grant him a divorce . In 1854 , Kearny was injured when the horse he was riding fell through a rotten bridge . Agnes Maxwell moved in to take care of him . By 1855 , Agnes and Kearny had left New York to escape the disapproval of society . They settled in Kearny ' s new mansion , Bellegrove , overlooking the Passaic River ( in what is now Kearny , New Jersey ) . It was a short distance and across the river from his family ' s old manor in Newark , New Jersey . In 1858 his wife finally granted a divorce . Kearny and Maxwell moved to Paris , where they were married . In 1859 , Kearny returned to France , re - joining the " Chasseurs d ' Afrique " , who were at the time fighting against Austrian forces in Italy . Later , he was with Napoleon III ' s Imperial Guard at the Battle of Solferino , where he charged with the cavalry under " général " Louis - Michel Morris , which penetrated the Austrian center and captured the key point of the battle . For this action , Kearny was awarded the French " Légion d ' honneur " , becoming the first U . S . citizen to be thus honored . Civil War . When the American Civil War broke out in 1861 , Kearny returned to the United States and was appointed a brigadier general , commanding the First New Jersey Brigade , which he trained efficiently . The Army had been reluctant to restore his commission due to his disability , but the shocking Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run made them realize the importance of seasoned combat officers . His brigade , even after he left to command a division , performed spectacularly , especially at the Battle of Glendale . He received command of the 3rd Division of the III Corps on April 30 , 1862 . He led the division into action at the Battle of Williamsburg and the Battle of Fair Oaks . At Williamsburg , as he led his troops onto the field , Kearny shouted ( in a notable quote ) , " I ' m a one - armed Jersey son - of - a - gun , follow me ! " The general led the charge with his sword in hand , reins in his teeth . He is noted for urging his troops forward by declaring , " Don ' t worry , men , they ' ll all be firing at me ! " His performance during the Peninsula Campaign earned him much respect from the army and his superiors . He disliked the commander of the Army of the Potomac , Maj . Gen . George B . McClellan , whose orders ( especially those to fall back ) he frequently ignored . After the Battle of Malvern Hill , which was a Union victory , McClellan ordered a withdrawal , and Kearny wrote : Kearny is credited with devising the first unit insignia patches used in the U . S . Army . In the summer of 1862 , he issued an order that his officers should wear a patch of red cloth on the front of their caps to identify themselves as members of his unit . The enlisted men , with whom Kearny was quite popular , quickly followed suit voluntarily . Members of other units picked up on the idea , devising their own insignia , and these evolved over the years into the modern shoulder patch . ( Daniel Butterfield is credited with taking Kearny ' s idea and standardizing it for all corps in the Army of the Potomac , designing most of the corps badges . ) Kearny was promoted to major general on July 4 , 1862 . Death . By the end of August 1862 , General Kearny led his division at the disastrous Second Battle of Bull Run , which saw the Union Army routed and nearly destroyed by Gen . Robert E . Lee ' s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia . The Union army retreated toward Washington and fought with the pursuing Confederates on September 1 , 1862 , at the Battle of Chantilly . In a violent storm with lightning and pouring rain , Kearny decided to investigate a gap in the Union line . Responding to warnings of a subordinate , he said , " The Rebel bullet that can kill me has not yet been molded . " Encountering Confederate troops , Kearny ignored a demand to surrender and , while he tried to escape on horseback , a " half dozen muskets fired " and he was shot with a Minié ball that entered his hip and came out his shoulder , killing him instantly . Confederate Maj . Gen . A . P . Hill , upon hearing the gunfire , ran up to the body of the illustrious soldier with a lantern and exclaimed , " You ' ve killed Phil Kearny , he deserved a better fate than to die in the mud . " General Lee sent his body back to Union forces , with a condolence note . At the time , there were rumors in Washington that President Abraham Lincoln was contemplating replacing George B . McClellan with " Kearny the Magnificent " . Kearny was buried at Trinity Churchyard in New York . In 1912 , his remains were exhumed and re - interred at Arlington National Cemetery , where there is a statue in his honor , one of only two equestrian statues at Arlington . The re - interment drive was spearheaded by Medal of Honor recipient Charles F . Hopkins , who had served under General Kearny in the First New Jersey Brigade . The statue was dedicated by President Woodrow Wilson in November 1914 . It was refurbished in 1996 by the General Philip Kearny Memorial Committee , a New Jersey nonprofit corporation .