Erasmus D. Keyes
Encyclopedia
Erasmus Darwin Keyes was a businessman, banker, and military general, noted for leading the IV Corps of the Union
Army of the Potomac
during the first half of the American Civil War
.
. While still a youth, he moved with his family to Kennebec County, Maine
. Although his father, Justus, was renowned as a physician and surgeon, Erasmus decided to pursue a military career and enrolled in the United States Military Academy
. He graduated 10th out of a class of 45 in 1832, and was commissioned a brevet
second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery
.
Keyes served in Charleston Harbor during the nullification crisis
of 1832–33, and served as an aide to General Winfield Scott
from 1837 to 1841. Keyes was promoted to captain on November 30, 1841. He served in various garrisons until 1844 and then functioned as an artillery and cavalry
instructor at West Point. During 1844, he was a member of the Academy's Board of Visitors.
After his service at West Point, he was then sent with the U.S. 3rd Artillery Regiment in 1854 around Cape Horn
to California
and served on the Pacific frontier
in garrison duty and campaigns until 1860. While there Keyes served in the Pacific Northwest from the winter of 1855 in the Puget Sound War
. Keyes's artillery Company M was sent to Fort Steilacoom
. While there, in January 1856, he made two attempts to capture Chief Leschi
but without success. March 4, 1856, he and 100 Regulars fought a skirmish at the White River and Muckleshoot Prairie. During the Spokane – Coeur d'Alene – Paloos War Captain Keyes was sent ahead with a detachment of dragoons to establish Fort Taylor
and a ferry crossing the Snake River
for Colonel
George Wright
's army. In the following campaign he commanded four companies of rifle armed artillerymen against the allied tribes at the Battle of Four Lakes
. Shortly after this battle, Keyes received his commission of major
on October 12, 1858. General Scott appointed Keyes his military secretary on January 1, 1860, a position Keyes filled until April 1861.
of the 11th U.S. Infantry on May 14, 1861. He then served briefly on the staff of New York Governor Edwin D. Morgan
until June 25, 1861, overseeing that state's raising of militia.
At the First Battle of Bull Run
, Keyes commanded the 1st Brigade, 1st Division (Tyler), and then led Keyes's Brigade, before assuming command of a division from November 9, 1861, to March 13, 1862. In August 1861 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general
of volunteers with date of rank of May 17, 1861, the third-ranking brigadier general in the Army. He was then given command of IV Corps, leading it from its inception on March 3, 1862, until its discontinuation on August 1, 1863. When Maj. Gen.
George B. McClellan
's Peninsula Campaign
against Richmond
was organized in the spring of 1862, Keyes led in unexceptionable fashion.
Keyes saw action at Lee's Mill, Yorktown
, Bottom's Bridge, Savage's Station
, Seven Pines
(Fair Oaks), Charles City Cross Roads, Malvern Hill
, and Harrison's Landing. For gallantry at Fair Oaks, Keyes received the brevet
of brigadier general
in the regular army. After the Army of the Potomac left the Peninsula, the IV Corps remained behind as a part of Maj. Gen. John Adams Dix
's Department of Virginia. On March 12, 1863, President
Abraham Lincoln
nominated Keyes for promotion to the grade of major general
, U.S. Volunteers, to rank from May 5, 1862 and the U.S. Senate confirmed the award on March 13, 1862. In addition to the IV Corps, he commanded the Yorktown District, VII Corps, and the division at Suffolk
. Among Keyes's other actions were the raid to White House, Virginia, on January 7, 1863, and the expedition to West Point, Virginia, on May 7, 1863.
During the Gettysburg Campaign
in 1863, Keyes fell afoul of General John Adams Dix
's strategic plan to demonstrate heavily against Richmond in order to divert Confederate reinforcements from General Robert E. Lee
's army in Pennsylvania
. Keyes retreated from a position near what is now Tallysville, Virginia
, in the face of what Dix deemed to be inferior forces, so Dix had Keyes removed from command.
Although Keyes asked for an investigation of the charges that led to his removal, the request was never granted. He then served on various boards and commissions, including the board for retiring disabled officers from July 15, 1863, until his resignation and retirement from the army on May 6, 1864.
Following his war service, Keyes moved to San Francisco, where he soon became financially successful and prominent. He converted to Catholicism
in San Francisco in 1866. He was president of a Mexican gold mining company in 1867–1869, and vice president of the California vine-culture society from 1868 to 1872. He also was engaged in the savings and loan business.
Keyes was the author of The Rear Guard at Malvern Hill as part of The Century Company
's Battles and Leaders of the Civil War series, as well as Fifty Years' Observation of Men and Events (New York, 1884). This was later reprinted as Fighting Indians in Washington Territory (Fairfax, Washington, 1988). His work From West Point to California was published posthumously in 1950.
While on a trip to Europe with his wife, Keyes died in Nice, France, at age 85. He is buried in West Point Cemetery
.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
during the first half of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life and career
Keyes was born in Brimfield, MassachusettsBrimfield, Massachusetts
Brimfield is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,609 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. While still a youth, he moved with his family to Kennebec County, Maine
Kennebec County, Maine
Kennebec County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 122,151. Its county seat is Augusta. The center of population of Maine is located in Kennebec County, in the city of Augusta....
. Although his father, Justus, was renowned as a physician and surgeon, Erasmus decided to pursue a military career and enrolled in the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. He graduated 10th out of a class of 45 in 1832, and was commissioned a brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
.
Keyes served in Charleston Harbor during the nullification crisis
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was a sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson created by South Carolina's 1832 Ordinance of Nullification. This ordinance declared by the power of the State that the federal Tariff of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within...
of 1832–33, and served as an aide to General Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
from 1837 to 1841. Keyes was promoted to captain on November 30, 1841. He served in various garrisons until 1844 and then functioned as an artillery and cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
instructor at West Point. During 1844, he was a member of the Academy's Board of Visitors.
After his service at West Point, he was then sent with the U.S. 3rd Artillery Regiment in 1854 around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and served on the Pacific frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
in garrison duty and campaigns until 1860. While there Keyes served in the Pacific Northwest from the winter of 1855 in the Puget Sound War
Puget Sound War
The Puget Sound War was an armed conflict that took place in the Puget Sound area of the state of Washington in 1855–56, between the United States Military, local militias and members of the Native American tribes of the Nisqually, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and Klickitat...
. Keyes's artillery Company M was sent to Fort Steilacoom
Fort Steilacoom
For the adjacent park, see Fort Steilacoom ParkFort Steilacoom was founded by the U.S. Army in 1849 near Lake Steilacoom. It was among the first military fortifications built by the U.S. north of the Columbia River in what was to become Washington...
. While there, in January 1856, he made two attempts to capture Chief Leschi
Chief Leschi
Chief Leschi was chief of the Nisqually Native American tribe. He was hanged for murder in 1858, but exonerated in 2004.-Life:...
but without success. March 4, 1856, he and 100 Regulars fought a skirmish at the White River and Muckleshoot Prairie. During the Spokane – Coeur d'Alene – Paloos War Captain Keyes was sent ahead with a detachment of dragoons to establish Fort Taylor
Fort Taylor (Washington)
Fort Taylor, in Washington Territory was a temporary Army post established early in August 1858, by Captain E. D. Keyes with a detachment of dragoons, during the Spokane – Coeur d'Alene – Paloos War. The fort was located on the south bank of the Snake River at the mouth of the Tucannon River...
and a ferry crossing the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
for Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
George Wright
George Wright
- Politics, law and government :*George Wright , Canadian politician, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island*George Wright , Australian judge, Old Newingtonian*George Wright , Solicitor General for Ireland...
's army. In the following campaign he commanded four companies of rifle armed artillerymen against the allied tribes at the Battle of Four Lakes
Battle of Four Lakes
The Battle of Four Lakes was a battle during a US Army expedition against a confederation of Indian tribes in Washington and Idaho. Indian resistance to U.S. troops in the area had continued as part of the Yakima War. Commander of the Department of the Pacific, General Newman S. Clarke sent a...
. Shortly after this battle, Keyes received his commission of major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
on October 12, 1858. General Scott appointed Keyes his military secretary on January 1, 1860, a position Keyes filled until April 1861.
Civil War
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Keyes was promoted to colonelColonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of the 11th U.S. Infantry on May 14, 1861. He then served briefly on the staff of New York Governor Edwin D. Morgan
Edwin D. Morgan
Edwin Denison Morgan was the 21st Governor of New York from 1859 to 1862 and served in the United States Senate from 1863 to 1869. He was the first and longest-serving chairman of the Republican National Committee...
until June 25, 1861, overseeing that state's raising of militia.
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
, Keyes commanded the 1st Brigade, 1st Division (Tyler), and then led Keyes's Brigade, before assuming command of a division from November 9, 1861, to March 13, 1862. In August 1861 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
of volunteers with date of rank of May 17, 1861, the third-ranking brigadier general in the Army. He was then given command of IV Corps, leading it from its inception on March 3, 1862, until its discontinuation on August 1, 1863. When Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
's Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
against Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
was organized in the spring of 1862, Keyes led in unexceptionable fashion.
Keyes saw action at Lee's Mill, Yorktown
Battle of Yorktown (1862)
The Battle of Yorktown or Siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder's small Confederate force...
, Bottom's Bridge, Savage's Station
Battle of Savage's Station
The Battle of Savage's Station took place on June 29, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as fourth of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. The main body of the Union Army of the Potomac began a general withdrawal toward the James River. Confederate Brig. Gen. John B. Magruder pursued...
, Seven Pines
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
(Fair Oaks), Charles City Cross Roads, Malvern Hill
Battle of Malvern Hill
The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the seventh and last day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. Gen. Robert E. Lee launched a series of disjointed assaults on the nearly impregnable...
, and Harrison's Landing. For gallantry at Fair Oaks, Keyes received the brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
in the regular army. After the Army of the Potomac left the Peninsula, the IV Corps remained behind as a part of Maj. Gen. John Adams Dix
John Adams Dix
John Adams Dix was an American politician from New York. He served as Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Senator, and the 24th Governor of New York. He was also a Union major general during the Civil War.-Early life and career:...
's Department of Virginia. On March 12, 1863, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
nominated Keyes for promotion to the grade of major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
, U.S. Volunteers, to rank from May 5, 1862 and the U.S. Senate confirmed the award on March 13, 1862. In addition to the IV Corps, he commanded the Yorktown District, VII Corps, and the division at Suffolk
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...
. Among Keyes's other actions were the raid to White House, Virginia, on January 7, 1863, and the expedition to West Point, Virginia, on May 7, 1863.
During the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
in 1863, Keyes fell afoul of General John Adams Dix
John Adams Dix
John Adams Dix was an American politician from New York. He served as Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Senator, and the 24th Governor of New York. He was also a Union major general during the Civil War.-Early life and career:...
's strategic plan to demonstrate heavily against Richmond in order to divert Confederate reinforcements from General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
's army in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Keyes retreated from a position near what is now Tallysville, Virginia
Tallysville, Virginia
Talleysville is an unincorporated community in New Kent County, Virginia, United States.-References:*...
, in the face of what Dix deemed to be inferior forces, so Dix had Keyes removed from command.
Although Keyes asked for an investigation of the charges that led to his removal, the request was never granted. He then served on various boards and commissions, including the board for retiring disabled officers from July 15, 1863, until his resignation and retirement from the army on May 6, 1864.
Postbellum activities
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
in San Francisco in 1866. He was president of a Mexican gold mining company in 1867–1869, and vice president of the California vine-culture society from 1868 to 1872. He also was engaged in the savings and loan business.
Keyes was the author of The Rear Guard at Malvern Hill as part of The Century Company
The Century Company
The Century Company was an American publishing company, founded in 1881.It was originally a subsidiary of Charles Scribner's Sons, but was bought and renamed. The magazine it had published up to that time, Scribners Monthly, was renamed The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine.The Century Company...
's Battles and Leaders of the Civil War series, as well as Fifty Years' Observation of Men and Events (New York, 1884). This was later reprinted as Fighting Indians in Washington Territory (Fairfax, Washington, 1988). His work From West Point to California was published posthumously in 1950.
While on a trip to Europe with his wife, Keyes died in Nice, France, at age 85. He is buried in West Point Cemetery
West Point Cemetery
West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for American Revolutionary War soldiers and early West Point inhabitants long before 1817 when it was officially...
.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
- List of Massachusetts generals in the American Civil War
- Massachusetts in the Civil WarMassachusetts in the Civil WarThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts played a significant role in national events prior to and during the American Civil War. Massachusetts dominated the early antislavery movement during the 1830s, motivating activists across the nation. This, in turn, increased sectionalism in the North and South,...
Further reading
- Sears, Stephen W.Stephen W. SearsStephen Ward Sears is an American historian specializing in the American Civil War.A graduate of Lakewood High School and Oberlin College, Sears attended a journalism seminar at...
To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign. Ticknor and Fields, 1992. ISBN 0-89919-790-6.