Brigadier General, USV (May 17, 1861)
Major General, USV (August 5, 1864)
Civil War Union Brigadier General. He was born in New Hampton, New Hampshire, and moved to Wheeling, in western Virginia, at the age of 19. For over 2 decades he was a merchant, then in 1851 became a freight agent of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. When the war began, he raised the 1st (West) Virginia and was named its Colonel on May 22, 1861. On June 3 at Philippi, the 90 day regiment fought Confederate volunteers and he suffered a severe wound. When he returned to duty, he received promotion to Brigadier General. His rapid rise had little basis in military experience and prowess but probably occurred because of his staunch pro-Union efforts in western Virginia. His principal duty and service throughout the war was to guard the vital Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in Maryland and West Virginia (after statehood). His command constantly operated against Confederate raiding parties that tried to sever the railroad line and destroy the depots. He participated in the Union pursuit after Gettysburg and the November 1863 attack on Brigadier General John D. Imboden's camp at Moorefield, West Virginia. In 1864 his command fought at Cumberland, Maryland, and again at Moorefield. In November a Confederate raiding party surprised and captured the Union depot at New Creek, West Virginia. His performance in this disaster and his bungled pursuit drew severe criticism from his superior, Major General Philip H. Sheridan. On February 21, 1865, Confederate guerrillas, under the cover of darkness, entered Cumberland, Maryland, capturing him and his department commander, Major General George Crook. They were then sent to Richmond's Libby Prison. The affair created an uproar and both officers soon secured a special exchange. With the brevet rank of Major General, he resigned on June 1, 1865. After the war he held a number of government posts. He was, successively, collector of internal revenue for West Virginia, superintendent of the Hot Springs, Arkansas, reservation, and examiner of pensions in Washington D.C. He would later die in Oakland, Maryland.
Wikipedia.org - Benjamin Franklin Kelley Bio:
Born: April 10, 1807, New Hampton, New Hampshire Died: July 16, 1891 (aged 84) Oakland, Maryland Place of burial: Arlington National Cemetery Allegiance: United States of America - Union Service/branch: United States Army/ Union Army Years of service: 1861 - 1865
Rank: Union Army Brigadier General rank insignia.svg Brigadier General Union Army major general rank insignia.svg Brevet Major General Unit: 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry
Battles/Wars: American Civil War: Battle of Philippi Races Battle of Romney Battle of Blue's Gap Battle of Folck's Mill Battle of Moorefield
Other Works: Revenue Collector, Indian Agent, Examiner of Pensions Benjamin Franklin Kelley (April 10, 1807 – July 16, 1891) was an American soldier who served as a Brigadier General in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in several military campaigns in West Virginia and Maryland.
Early Life Kelley was born in New Hampton, a small village in New Hampshire. At the age of 19, he went to Wheeling, Virginia, a center of the slave trade. He engaged in the merchandise business until 1851, when he became a freight agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
Civil War At outbreak of the Civil War he was living in Philadelphia and working for the B&O Railroad. He left his position there and moved to Wheeling to take command of the 1st Virginia Infantry, a Federal volunteer three-months regiment, and was appointed as its colonel. [1][2] His first service was at Philippi, where he captured the Confederate camp equipage and was himself badly wounded. He was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on August 5, 1861, backdated to May, and was victorious at Romney and Blue's Gap (Hanging Rocks Pass). Afterward, Kelley commanded a division of 10,000 men in the Department of Harper's Ferry.
In 1862 he served under Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont, and the following year he was in command of the West Virginia department and pursued General Robert E. Lee during the Retreat from Gettysburg. In 1864, he checked the enemy at Folck's Mill, New Creek, and Moorefield, West Virginia. He was brevetted as a major general of volunteers on August 5, 1864.[3]
Kelley, along with his immediate superior Maj. Gen. George Crook, was captured by a small raiding party of Confederate partisans on February 21, 1865. Kelley was sent to a prison in Richmond, Virginia, but he and Crook were released on March 20 by a special exchange. He resigned from the army on June 1, 1865. [3]
Postbellum Career After the war ended, Kelley was appointed an internal revenue collector in 1866. After serving in that role for ten years, he became the head of the Hot Springs, Arkansas, Military Reservation in 1876. In 1883, President Chester A. Arthur appointed him an examiner of pensions.
Death Kelley died in Oakland, Maryland, and was interred in Arlington National Cemetery. His grave was created by sculptor W.S. Davis and completed ca. 1861. The gravestone is made of granite (6 x 5 x 3 ft.) with a relief (2 x 2 x 6 ft.) of bronze inset on the front of the stone, just above two inscribed plaques. The relief is a bust of Kelley, who has a full goatee, mustache, and a military uniform.
One plaque on the gravestone is inscribed:
BENJAMIN F. KELLEY COLONEL 1ST VIRGINIA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY BRIGADIER AND BREVET MAJOR GENERAL U.S.V. WOUNDED AT THE BATTLE OF PHILLIPI VIRGINIA JUNE 3, 1861.
Another plaque on the gravestone is inscribed: HIS WIFE (2nd spouse): MARY CLARE BRUCE KELLEY DIED DECEMBER 24, 1910
Find A Grave: Memorial #6523 Benjamin Franklin Kelley
Brig. Gen. Benjamin Franklin Kelley, 10 April 1807 – 16 July 1891
LDS Profile LCG7-JT3
New Hampshire Births and Christenings, 1714-1904: Benjamin Franklin Kelly: Birth: 10 April 1807, New Hampton, Belknap, New Hampshire, United States; Father's Name: William B Kelly; Mother's Name: Polly Smith
Spouses: Isabella Goshorn Kelley, 1816–1860 (m. 1835) and Mary Clare Bruce Kelley, unknown–24 December 1910
Marriage: 26 FEB 1835 at Ohio, West Virginia to Isabella Goshorn, 1818–1860, (LDS Profile LCG7-VRL) Death of Spouse, Isabella Goshorn, 23 APR 1860 at West Virginia
2nd Marriage: after 1860 to Mary Clare Bruce Kelley, unknown-24 December 1910
Parents: William Bowdoin Kelly and Mary "Polly" Smith
Benjamin Franklin Kelley BIRTH: 10 Apr 1807, Hampton, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, USA DEATH: 16 Jul 1891 (aged 84) Oakland, Garrett County, Maryland, USA BURIAL: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA PLOT: Section 1, Site 141-C, MEMORIAL ID: 6523[1]
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Categories: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia | Union Army Generals, United States Civil War | Notables | 1st Regiment, West Virginia Infantry, United States Civil War