George VanStavoren Kelley (March 23, 1843 – November 4, 1905) was a line officer in the
Union Army during the
American Civil War. He received the
Medal of Honor for gallantry at the
Battle of Franklin Battle of Franklin may refer to four battles of the American Civil War:
* Battle of Franklin (1864), a major battle fought November 30, 1864, at Franklin, Tennessee as part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign
* Battle of Franklin (1863), a minor eng ...
during the 1864
Franklin-Nashville Campaign.
Biography
Kelley was born and raised in enlisted in
Massillon, Ohio
Massillon is a city in Stark County, Ohio, Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately west of Canton, Ohio, Canton, south of Akron, and south of Cleveland. The population was 32,146 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Mass ...
. Following the outbreak of the Civil War and President
Abraham Lincoln's call for volunteers, he enlisted in his hometown in the
104th Ohio Infantry
The 104th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War. It played a conspicuous role at the Battle of Franklin during the 1864 Franklin-Nashville Campaign ...
on April 22, 1861. Kelley served as a
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
in Company A. The regiment moved to
Covington, Kentucky, on September 1, 1862, in preparation for the
Defense of Cincinnati against a threatened
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
invasion by troops under
Edmund Kirby Smith
General Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824March 28, 1893) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indi ...
. It was involved in the subsequent
Skirmish at Fort Mitchell
Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, a ...
,
Kentucky.
Kelley and his comrades in the 104th OVI spent 1863 in Kentucky, and then moved to
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 count ...
until April 1864. They were reassigned to duty as part of the
XXIII Corps in
Georgia, and Tennessee in late 1864. Kelley was promoted to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
and commander of Company A. He captured a
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
flag during the fighting at Franklin in November and was awarded the Medal of Honor a few months later. The regiment subsequently served in
Washington, D.C. and
North Carolina. Kelley was mustered out of the army on June 14, 1865.
After the war, Kelley returned to Ohio. At the age of 24, he married Fannie Bliss on October 18, 1866. Following her death, he moved to
Denver, Colorado, and became a rancher. On May 15, 1890, he married a local resident Louisa Talitha Holloway (February 13, 1865 – February 6, 1902).
He is buried in that city's Riverside Cemetery.
[ ]
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Captain, Company A, 104th Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Franklin, Tenn., November 30, 1864. Entered service at: Massillon, Ohio. Born: March 23, 1843, Massillon, Ohio. Date of issue: February 13, 1865.
Citation:
Capture of flag supposed to be of Cheatham's Corps (C.S.A.).
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their ...
*
Wikipedia Riverside Cemetery
Notes
References
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External links
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''104th Ohio Infantry by Larry Stevens''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley, George V.
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
Union Army officers
People of Ohio in the American Civil War
People from Massillon, Ohio
1843 births
1905 deaths
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor