George Keyports Brady (December 9, 1838 – January 20, 1899) was an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

who served as the second

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the

Department of Alaska Department of Alaska was the designation for the government of Alaska from its purchase by the United States of America in 1867 until its organization as the District of Alaska in 1884. During the department era, Alaska was variously under ...

, from September 1, 1870, to September 22, 1870.

Early life

Brady was born in

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the Mas ...

, on December 9, 1838. He was the son of

Jasper Ewing Brady Jasper Ewing Brady (March 4, 1797 – January 26, 1871) was a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Jasper E. Brady was born in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. He learned the hatter's trade and taught school in Franklin Cou ...

, a lawyer who later served as a Whig member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and whose uncles included noted Indian fighters

Samuel Brady Captain Samuel Brady (1756–1795) was an Irish American Revolutionary War officer, frontier scout, notorious Indian fighter, and the subject of many legends, in the history of western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. He is best known for repo ...

and Hugh Brady.

Civil War

At the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Brady enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the 12th Pennsylvania Infantry. On July 8, 1861, he accepted a commission as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in the Regular Army's 14th Infantry Regiment. He served in this regiment throughout the war, participating in the battles of Gaines' Mill,

Malvern Hill Malvern Hill stands on the north bank of the James River in Henrico County, Virginia, USA, about eighteen miles southeast of Richmond. On 1 July 1862, it was the scene of the Battle of Malvern Hill, one of the Seven Days Battles of the American ...

Second Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederat ...

, Chacellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Laurel Hill, Petersburg, and

Weldon Railroad Weldon may refer to: Places In Canada: * Weldon, Saskatchewan In England: * Weldon, Northamptonshire * Weldon, Northumberland In the United States: * Weldon, Arkansas * Weldon, California * Weldon, Illinois * Weldon, Iowa * Weldon, North Caroli ...

. In the latter battle, he was taken prisoner and held at

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Prison ...

before being paroled in September 1864. Brady received a promotion 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 ...

on June 10, 1864, and received a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

for his gallantry at Weldon Railroad on August 18, 1864. On March 16, 1865, he was brevetted a

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 ...

for his meritorious services during the war.

Later career

Immediately after the conclusion of the war, the 14th Infantry was sent to the west coast, where Brady was posted at Camp McDowell, Arizona, accompanied by his wife Henrietta Margaret and their baby daughter. The baby died in March 1866. In September 1866, he was transferred to the 23rd Infantry and was posted to Camp Three Forks Owyhee, Idaho, where he took part in the

Snake War Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints ...

. His son, Mifflin Brodhead Brady, was born in Idaho in July 1868. From July 1869 to May 1871, Brady's company was posted at Sitka, Alaska, and Brady served briefly as commander of the

. He later served at various posts across the West, including Camp Lowell,

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, Fort Supply, Fort Union, and

Fort Mackinac Fort Mackinac ( ) is a former British and American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century in the city of Mackinac Island, Michigan, on Mackinac Island. The British built the fort during the American Re ...

. He was promoted to major in the 18th Infantry in March 1886, and was stationed in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

until May 1889 when he took command of

Fort Hays Fort Hays, originally named Fort Fletcher, was a United States Army fort near Hays, Kansas. Active from 1865 to 1889 it was an important frontier post during the American Indian Wars of the late 19th century. Reopened as a historical park in 1 ...

. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the 17th Infantry in March 1891 and commanded that regiment at Fort D. A. Russell. Brady retired at his own request on August 16, 1894, and died in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on January 20, 1899.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brady, George K. 1838 births 1899 deaths American Civil War prisoners of war American people of the Indian Wars Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery Commanders of the Department of Alaska People from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union Army colonels United States Army officers 19th-century American politicians

Early life

Civil War

Later career

See also

References

External links