H. Boyd McKeen
Encyclopedia
H. Boyd McKeen led a regiment in the American Civil War
, and he occasionally led a brigade before being killed at the Battle of Cold Harbor
.
Henry Boyd McKeen was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and a graduate of Princeton University
, class of 1853. He was a lumber merchant in Camden, New Jersey at the beginning of the War. He began the war as a First Lieutenant and Adjutant of the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, commissioned on October 27, 1861. McKeen was promoted to the rank of major on June 1, 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign
. As major he led the regiment in first division II Corps
at the Battle of Antietam
.http://aotw.org/exhibit.php?exhibit_id=278 Promoted to colonel in November 1862, McKeen commanded the regiment at the Battle of Fredericksburg
and the Battle of Chancellorsville
. He was wounded in both battles. (The 81st Pennsylvania served in the temporary fifth brigade first division II Corps at Chancellorsville.)
McKeen entered the Battle of Gettysburg
still commanding 81st Pennsylvania. Col Edward E. Cross
, commander of the brigade, also gave him responsibility for the 148th Pennsylvania Regiment. When Cross was mortally wounded on July 2, 1863 in the Wheatfield, Col McKeen became acting commander of his brigade. McKeen wrote the official report of the brigade's actions at Gettysburg.http://www.civilwarhome.com/mckeengettysburg.htm He records his command's role on the third day of the battle, watching the repulse of the Florida brigade under David Lang (colonel)
. The regiment’s memorial stands in the Wheatfield
, where it did its hardest fighting.http://www.virtualgettysburg.com/exhibit/monuments/pages/sr342.html Col McKeen was back in regimental command at the Battle of Bristoe Station
and the Mine Run Campaign. During an absence of Col Nelson Miles, McKeen led the brigade once more during the winter of 1863-1864.
Col McKeen also led the 81st Pennsylvania at the Battle of the Wilderness
. When BG Alexander S. Webb
was wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania, McKeen was assigned command of his brigade in second division II Corps. Col McKeen was mortally wounded, shot through the body, in the Battle of Cold Harbor on June 3, 1864 leading a charge. His brigade had been in the second line of BG John Gibbon
's second division at the beginning of the assault, but the brigade in front of it had been driven to seek cover by heavy fire. McKean's command had tried unsuccessfully to go forward under the same fire.
McKeen is buried in The Woodlands Cemetery
in Philadelphia.
Fort McKeen in Dakota Territory was named when it was established in 1872 for Colonel McKeen. It later was renamed Fort Abraham Lincoln
.
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...
, and he occasionally led a brigade before being killed at the Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
.
Henry Boyd McKeen was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and a graduate of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, class of 1853. He was a lumber merchant in Camden, New Jersey at the beginning of the War. He began the war as a First Lieutenant and Adjutant of the 81st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, commissioned on October 27, 1861. McKeen was promoted to the rank of major on June 1, 1862 during the 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...
. As major he led the regiment in first division II Corps
II Corps (ACW)
There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L. Crittenden , later renumbered XX Corps...
at the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
.http://aotw.org/exhibit.php?exhibit_id=278 Promoted to colonel in November 1862, McKeen commanded the regiment at the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
and the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
. He was wounded in both battles. (The 81st Pennsylvania served in the temporary fifth brigade first division II Corps at Chancellorsville.)
McKeen entered the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
still commanding 81st Pennsylvania. Col Edward E. Cross
Edward E. Cross
Edward Ephraim Cross was a newspaperman and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Journalist:...
, commander of the brigade, also gave him responsibility for the 148th Pennsylvania Regiment. When Cross was mortally wounded on July 2, 1863 in the Wheatfield, Col McKeen became acting commander of his brigade. McKeen wrote the official report of the brigade's actions at Gettysburg.http://www.civilwarhome.com/mckeengettysburg.htm He records his command's role on the third day of the battle, watching the repulse of the Florida brigade under David Lang (colonel)
David Lang (colonel)
David Lang was a land surveyor, Confederate States Army officer during the American Civil War, civil engineer, and Florida politician.-Early life:...
. The regiment’s memorial stands in the Wheatfield
Wheatfield
-Locations:* The Bloody Wheatfield, site of fierce fighting in the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, American Civil War* Wheatfield, Indiana, USA* Wheatfield, New York, USA**Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District* Wheatfield, Oxfordshire, UK...
, where it did its hardest fighting.http://www.virtualgettysburg.com/exhibit/monuments/pages/sr342.html Col McKeen was back in regimental command at the Battle of Bristoe Station
Battle of Bristoe Station
The Battle of Bristoe Station was fought on October 14, 1863, at Bristoe Station, Virginia, between Union forces under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren and Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill during the Bristoe Campaign of the American Civil War...
and the Mine Run Campaign. During an absence of Col Nelson Miles, McKeen led the brigade once more during the winter of 1863-1864.
Col McKeen also led the 81st Pennsylvania at the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
. When BG Alexander S. Webb
Alexander S. Webb
Alexander Stewart Webb was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Battle of Gettysburg...
was wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania, McKeen was assigned command of his brigade in second division II Corps. Col McKeen was mortally wounded, shot through the body, in the Battle of Cold Harbor on June 3, 1864 leading a charge. His brigade had been in the second line of BG John Gibbon
John Gibbon
John Gibbon was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
's second division at the beginning of the assault, but the brigade in front of it had been driven to seek cover by heavy fire. McKean's command had tried unsuccessfully to go forward under the same fire.
McKeen is buried in The Woodlands Cemetery
The Woodlands Cemetery
The Woodlands is a National Historic Landmark District on the western banks of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It includes a magnificent federal style mansion, a matching carriage house and stable, and a garden landscape that in 1840 was transformed into a Victorian rural...
in Philadelphia.
Fort McKeen in Dakota Territory was named when it was established in 1872 for Colonel McKeen. It later was renamed Fort Abraham Lincoln
Fort Abraham Lincoln
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is located seven miles south of Mandan, North Dakota. The park is home to On-A-Slant Indian Village, the blockhouses and the Custer house...
.