Alexander Kelly (April 7, 1840 – June 19, 1907) was an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

coal miner and native of Pennsylvania who fought with the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

as a member of the

6th United States Colored Infantry Regiment The 6th United States Colored Infantry Regiment was an African American unit of the Union Army during the American Civil War. A part of the United States Colored Troops, the regiment saw action in Virginia as part of the Richmond–Petersburg Cam ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He was awarded his nation's highest military decoration—the U.S.

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

—for his gallantry in the

Battle of Chaffin's Farm The Battle of Chaffin's Farm and New Market Heights, also known as Laurel Hill and combats at Forts Harrison, Johnson, and Gilmer, was fought in Virginia on September 29–30, 1864, as part of the siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War. ...

, Virginia on September 29, 1864.

Formative years

Alexander Kelly was born in

Saltsburg, Pennsylvania Saltsburg is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its location is in western Pennsylvania, in the southwestern corner of Indiana County near its border with Westmoreland County. The town was based on the construction of salt ...

, on April 7, 1840. According to historian Donald Scott, "Kelly's parentage, service and census data indicate that he was 'mulatto' and with 'light skin,' perhaps indicating mixed ancestry." He "and his siblings were orphaned by 1850, when he was about 10 years old, and lived with an uncle, David Kelly, a 'salt boiler,' and his probable wife Nancy, described n the 1850 federal censusas 'Keeping House'.... The family was part of a small black community, some working as coal miners and 'salt boilers' in Saltsburg, where the Conemaugh River carried salt deposits." Among the siblings living with him at this time was his 16-year-old brother, Joseph. Reportedly reaching a stature of just 5'3" by his early adult years, according to U.S. military records, Alexander Kelly became one of those who found work in the coal mines of

Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...

Civil War

In August 1863, when his older brother, Joseph, was drafted for military service, Alexander Kelly enlisted instead. After choosing to serve as his brother's substitute, he mustered in with his regiment at Camp William Penn in Philadelphia's Chelton Hills neighborhood. Stationed initially with the 6th USCT

Fortress Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...

and Yorktown, Virginia, he participated with his regiment and other Union troops in the capture of Confederate earthenworks near Petersburg on June 15, 1864. Two months later, they were involved in fortification duties at Dutch Gap on the James River under heavy enemy artillery fire.Scott, "Alexander Kelly: From the coal mines to the front lines]", in "PA Civil War 150". Kelly then went on to earn the rank of First Sergeant in Company F of the 6th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment. On September 29, 1864, as his unit was engaged in the

, Virginia, he prevented the national colors from falling into enemy hands as his regiment was storming an

abatis An abatis, abattis, or abbattis is a field fortification consisting of an obstacle formed (in the modern era) of the branches of trees laid in a row, with the sharpened tops directed outwards, towards the enemy. The trees are usually interlaced ...

of a

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

regiment from Texas, and also then "rallied the th USCTmen at a time of confusion and a place of great danger" — actions which resulted in his being awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor on April 6, 1865. With the war over and Reconstruction efforts underway, Alexander Kelly mustered out on September 20, 1865.

Post-war life

Following his honorable discharge from the military, Kelly returned home to Pennsylvania, married in 1866 and, together with his wife, Victoria, welcomed the birth of William. Residents of Coutlersville, he and his wife also adopted homeless orphans during their more than 30 years of marriage. Employed as a coal miner, he was later joined on the job by his son. After relocating with his wife to the east side of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

sometime during the early 1890s, he was widowed by her in 1898. An aging veteran who was active with the Grand Army of the Republic's Robert G. Shaw Post (No. 206), he then obtained less labor intensive work as the night watchman at the

Pittsburgh Police The Pittsburgh Police (PBP), officially the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, is the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania and the third largest in Pennsylvania. The modern force of salaried and professional officers was founded in ...

stables sometime after 1900 while his son worked as a music teacher.

Death and interment

On June 19, 1907, Kelly died in Pittsburgh at age 67. Following funeral services, he was buried in that city's Saint Peters Cemetery.

Medal of Honor citation and other honors

First Sergeant Kelly's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Gallantly seized the colors, which had fallen near the enemy's lines of
abatis An abatis, abattis, or abbattis is a field fortification consisting of an obstacle formed (in the modern era) of the branches of trees laid in a row, with the sharpened tops directed outwards, towards the enemy. The trees are usually interlaced ...
, raised them and rallied the men at a time of confusion and in a place of the greatest danger.*

Kelly's courage at New Market Heights is depicted in a painting, ''Three Medals of Honor'' by artist

Don Troiani Don Troiani (born 1949) is an American painter whose work focuses on his native country's military heritage, mostly from the American Revolution, War of 1812 and American Civil War. His highly realistic and historically accurate oil and watercolo ...

. The painting was scheduled to be unveiled June 24, 2013, at the

Union League of Philadelphia The Union League of Philadelphia is a private club founded in 1862 by the Old Philadelphians as a patriotic society to support the policies of Abraham Lincoln. As of 2022, the club has over 4,000 members. Its main building was built in 1865 and ...

. Also portrayed in the painting are two fellow Medal of Honor recipients from the battle, Nathan H. Edgerton and

Thomas R. Hawkins Thomas R. Hawkins (c. 1840 – February 28, 1870) was an African American, African-American Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions at th ...

References

External links

*
1SGT Alexander Kelly
(memorial, gravesite information, and photo). Salt Lake City, Utah: Find A Grave, retrieved online January 13, 2007. * Claxton, Melvin and Mark Puls,

', (Wiley, 2006) () * Gayley, Alice J. ttp://www.pa-roots.com/pacw/usct/6thusct/6thusctcof.html Company F Roster (transcribed), 6th U.S. Colored Troops Brookville, Pennsylvania: PA-Roots, retrieved online September 12, 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Alexander 1840 births 1907 deaths African Americans in the American Civil War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Union Army soldiers American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Saltsburg, Pennsylvania 20th-century African-American people American coal miners People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War