Patrick Kelly ( 1822 – June 16, 1864) was an Irish-American

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 ...

officer 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 led the famed Irish Brigade at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

Early life

Kelly was born in Castlehacket,

Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...

, Ireland, and emigrated to the United States, landing in New York City. His wife Elizabeth was also from Tuam.

Civil War

At the outset of the Civil War, Kelly enlisted in the Union Army and saw action as

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 ...

of Company E of the

69th New York Infantry The 69th New York Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. It is from New York City, part of the New York Army National Guard. It is known as the "Fighting Sixty-Ninth", a name said to have been given by Robert ...

at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

. He briefly was a captain in the 16th U.S. Infantry. On September 14, 1861, he was named

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of the 88th New York Infantry and fought in the Irish Brigade's major battles in 1862. He commanded the regiment at the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

. While stationed at

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...

following the Maryland Campaign, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

on October 20, 1862. He led the regiment in the ill-fated attacks in front of Marye's Heights in the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

. Kelly was acting commander of the Irish Brigade at the end of 1862. After the 1863

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

, Kelly was promoted to command the Irish Brigade following the resignation of

Brig. Gen. Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Thomas Francis Meagher Thomas Francis Meagher (; 3 August 18231 July 1867) was an Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelanders in the Rebellion of 1848. After being convicted of sedition, he was first sentenced to death, but received transportation for life ...

. Kelly led the heavily depleted brigade (fewer than 600 men) in an attack at the Wheatfield at Gettysburg. The brigade lost 198 of 532 troops engaged, around 37%.Busey & Martin, p. 128. Kelly resumed his role as colonel of his regiment as more senior officers returned to the brigade. However, with the death of Col.

Richard Byrnes Richard ByrnesHis surname is sometimes given as "Byrne." (1832 – June 10, 1864) was an Irish-American officer in the United States Army, who rose to command the Union Army's Irish Brigade during the American Civil War. Life Byrnes was born in ...

at the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

in 1864, Kelly again commanded the brigade. At the age of 42, Kelly died during the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

when he was shot through the head while leading the Irish Brigade forward against Confederate earthworks. His body was recovered and sent back to New York for his funeral. He was buried in First Calvary Cemetery in

Woodside, New York Woodside is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the western portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside, and on the east by Elmhurst, J ...

References

Sources

* Bilby, Joseph G., ''The Irish Brigade in the Civil War: The 69th New York and Other Irish Regiments of the Army of the Potomac.'' Conshohocken, Pennsylvania: Combined Books, 1998. . * Busey, John W., and Martin, David G., ''Regimental Strengths and Losses at Gettysburg'', 4th Ed., Longstreet House, 2005, . * Jorgensen, Jay, ''Gettysburg's Bloody Wheatfield'', Shippensberg, PA: White Mane Publishing, 2002, . * Pritchard, Russ A., ''The Irish Brigade: A Pictorial History of the Famed Civil War Fighters.'' New York: Running Press Book Publishers, 2004. . * U.S. War Department
''The War of the Rebellion''
''a Compilation of the

Official Records The ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies in the War of the Rebellion'', commonly known as the ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies'' or Official Records (OR or ORs), is the most extensive collection of Americ ...

of the Union and Confederate Armies'', U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.

External links

The Wild Geese: Kelly's funeral
* * Patrick Kelly, depicted in ''The soldier in our Civil War : a pictorial history of the conflict, 1861-1865'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Patrick Year of birth uncertain 1864 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Irish Brigade (U.S.) Irish soldiers in the United States Army Military personnel from New York City People from Tuam People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Army colonels Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War United States Army officers People from County Galway