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Thomas J. Kelly (Irish nationalist)
Encyclopedia
Thomas J. Kelly was an Irish
revolutionary and leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
(IRB).
, County Galway
, in 1833. After serving an apprenticeship in the printing trade in Loughrea
, he emigrated to the United States
in 1851, where he worked as a printer in New York
. In New York he joined the National Guard and received basic military training. He later joined the Emmet Monument Association
, an Irish-American Irish republican group.
In 1857, Kelly went to Nashville, Tennessee
, where he soon afterwards started the Nashville Democrat, which supported the presidential campaign of Stephen A. Douglas
in the Presidential election of 1860
. Following the outbreak of the American Civil War
, Kelly, a supporter of the Union
, was forced to leave Nashville.
He enlisted in the 10th Ohio Infantry
for three months, and then re-enlisted for an additional three years. He served in Company “C”, where his military knowledge and ability was soon recognized and he was promoted to Sergeant
. By the end of the summer of 1861 he was functioning as First Sergeant
of Company “C”. Although shot in the jaw at the Battle of Carnifex Ferry
in Western Virginia
, 10 September 1861, he volunteered to return to duty before the end of the year. Part of his jaw and three teeth were destroyed by a bullet that lodged in the muscles of the left side of his neck, from which it was removed surgically. It has been suggested that the goatee
beard, which appears in all of his pictures was grown to hide what could have been a disfiguring scar.
Kelly was commissioned in January 1862, and later seconded to the staff of Major General George Henry Thomas
(later “The Rock of Chickamauga”)
of the XIV Corps, United States Army of the Cumberland
, as a Signal Officer. He was promoted to Captain on 17 March 1863, becoming Chief Signal Officer. During this period his regimental commander requested his reassignment back to the 10th Ohio, in order that he might take command of one of the regiment’s manoeuvre battalions. General Thomas refused the request, writing that he could not spare Kelly from his duties. On 30 April 1863, Kelly was administratively transferred, on the books of the 10th Ohio from Company “C” to Company “I”, while continuing to serve at XIV Corps Headquarters. General Thomas’s need for Kelly’s services was trumped by a new Army regulation requiring that all officers of the Signal Corps
have university degrees by the following February. This being the case (although too late for battalion command), Kelly again requested transfer back to his regiment. On 19 August 1863 he was ordered to return to the "Bloody Tenth"
as Captain, Company “I”, from which he was mustered out with the rest of the 10th Ohio on 17 June 1864.
After the end of the war, Kelly learned about the establishment of the IRB and later joined the movement in New York. The Fenian Brotherhood
later dispatched him to Ireland as an envoy to meet with IRB leader James Stephens
. He returned to New York in April 1866. He became Deputy to Stephens [the Irish leader of the Fenians] in May 1866, and brought about Stephens' downfall later in the year.
After Stephens was deposed as IRB leader in December 1866, Kelly, as "Deputy Central Organiser of the Irish Republic", took control of the organisation. Kelly participated in helping Stephens escape from Richmond Jail. He also planned the raid on Chester Castle
, scheduled for 11 February 1867, which proved abortive.
Kelly played an important role in the failed Fenian Rising
of 1867 and was arrested. He later escaped, and in August 1867, called a secret IRB convention at Manchester, where he was declared Chief Organiser of the Irish Republic
(COIR), in succession to Stephens.
Kelly was wanted by the British authorities, and for a time managed to evade capture. But on September 11, 1867, Kelly, along with Timothy Deasy
, was arrested in Manchester for loitering. Though they gave false names, they were soon identified and charged with more serious offenses. Seven days later, Kelly and Deasy were being transferred from the courthouse
to the county jail on Hyde Road, Manchester, when about thirty supporters attempted to free them. During the attack, a policeman was killed, but Kelly and Deasy managed to escape. Three men arrested in connection with the attack were later executed, and thereafter known as the Manchester Martyrs
. Both Kelly and Deasy escaped to the United States and were never recaptured. Kelly later obtained employment in the New York custom-house.
He was later associated with the Irish Republican Brotherhood
in New York. In 1871, he was secretary to the committee which welcomed the "Cuba Five
", a group of released Fenian prisoners, to New York.
He died at his residence, 31 East 130th St. in New York, on 5 February 1908. He and his wife, Anna Frances (née Dunne) (May 1860 - September 1913) are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, NY.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
revolutionary and leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
(IRB).
Biography
The son of a farmer, Patrick Kelly, and Margaret Divilly, Thomas Kelly was born in MountbellewMountbellew
Mountbellew or Mountbellew Bridge is a village in County Galway, Ireland. It lies mostly within the townland of Treanrevagh on the N63 national primary road....
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, in 1833. After serving an apprenticeship in the printing trade in Loughrea
Loughrea
Loughrea is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains.The town expanded in recent years as it increasingly becomes a commuter town for the city of Galway.- Name :...
, he emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1851, where he worked as a printer in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In New York he joined the National Guard and received basic military training. He later joined the Emmet Monument Association
Emmet Monument Association
The Emmet Monument Association was a mid-nineteenth century secret military organization with the special purpose of training men to attack England and free Ireland. It was established in the mid 1850s, by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny refugees from the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848...
, an Irish-American Irish republican group.
In 1857, Kelly went to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where he soon afterwards started the Nashville Democrat, which supported the presidential campaign of Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
in the Presidential election of 1860
United States presidential election, 1860
The United States presidential election of 1860 was a quadrennial election, held on November 6, 1860, for the office of President of the United States and the immediate impetus for the outbreak of the American Civil War. The nation had been divided throughout the 1850s on questions surrounding the...
. Following the outbreak 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...
, Kelly, a supporter of the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
, was forced to leave Nashville.
He enlisted in the 10th Ohio Infantry
10th Ohio Infantry
The 10th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was also known as the Montgomery Regiment and the Bloody Tenth...
for three months, and then re-enlisted for an additional three years. He served in Company “C”, where his military knowledge and ability was soon recognized and he was promoted to Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
. By the end of the summer of 1861 he was functioning as First Sergeant
First Sergeant
First sergeant is the name of a military rank used in many countries, typically a senior non-commissioned officer.-Singapore:First Sergeant is a Specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First Sergeants are the most senior of the junior Specialists, ranking above Second Sergeants, and below Staff...
of Company “C”. Although shot in the jaw at the Battle of Carnifex Ferry
Battle of Carnifex Ferry
The Battle of Carnifex Ferry took place on September 10, 1861, in Nicholas County, Virginia , as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign during the American Civil War. The battle resulted in a Union victory that contributed to the eventual Confederate withdrawal from western Virginia...
in Western Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, 10 September 1861, he volunteered to return to duty before the end of the year. Part of his jaw and three teeth were destroyed by a bullet that lodged in the muscles of the left side of his neck, from which it was removed surgically. It has been suggested that the goatee
Goatee
Goatee refers to a style of facial hair incorporating hair on a man’s chin. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture.Traditionally, goatee refers solely to a beard formed by a tuft of hair on the chin...
beard, which appears in all of his pictures was grown to hide what could have been a disfiguring scar.
Kelly was commissioned in January 1862, and later seconded to the staff of Major General George Henry Thomas
George Henry Thomas
George Henry Thomas was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War, one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater....
(later “The Rock of Chickamauga”)
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
of the XIV Corps, United States Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
, as a Signal Officer. He was promoted to Captain on 17 March 1863, becoming Chief Signal Officer. During this period his regimental commander requested his reassignment back to the 10th Ohio, in order that he might take command of one of the regiment’s manoeuvre battalions. General Thomas refused the request, writing that he could not spare Kelly from his duties. On 30 April 1863, Kelly was administratively transferred, on the books of the 10th Ohio from Company “C” to Company “I”, while continuing to serve at XIV Corps Headquarters. General Thomas’s need for Kelly’s services was trumped by a new Army regulation requiring that all officers of the Signal Corps
Signal Corps in the American Civil War
The Signal Corps in the American Civil War comprised two organizations: the U.S. Army Signal Corps, which began with the appointment of Major Albert J...
have university degrees by the following February. This being the case (although too late for battalion command), Kelly again requested transfer back to his regiment. On 19 August 1863 he was ordered to return to the "Bloody Tenth"
10th Ohio Infantry
The 10th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was also known as the Montgomery Regiment and the Bloody Tenth...
as Captain, Company “I”, from which he was mustered out with the rest of the 10th Ohio on 17 June 1864.
After the end of the war, Kelly learned about the establishment of the IRB and later joined the movement in New York. The Fenian Brotherhood
Fenian Brotherhood
The Fenian Brotherhood was an Irish republican organization founded in the United States in 1858 by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny. It was a precursor to Clan na Gael, a sister organization to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Members were commonly known as "Fenians"...
later dispatched him to Ireland as an envoy to meet with IRB leader James Stephens
James Stephens (Irish nationalist)
James Stephens was an Irish Republican and the founding member of an originally unnamed revolutionary organisation in Dublin on 17 March 1858, later to become known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood , also referred to as the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood by contemporaries.-Early...
. He returned to New York in April 1866. He became Deputy to Stephens [the Irish leader of the Fenians] in May 1866, and brought about Stephens' downfall later in the year.
After Stephens was deposed as IRB leader in December 1866, Kelly, as "Deputy Central Organiser of the Irish Republic", took control of the organisation. Kelly participated in helping Stephens escape from Richmond Jail. He also planned the raid on Chester Castle
Chester Castle
Chester Castle is in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the city walls . The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining parts of the medieval castle together with the...
, scheduled for 11 February 1867, which proved abortive.
Kelly played an important role in the failed Fenian Rising
Fenian Rising
The Fenian Rising of 1867 was a rebellion against British rule in Ireland, organised by the Irish Republican Brotherhood .After the suppression of the Irish People newspaper, disaffection among Irish radical nationalists had continued to smoulder, and during the later part of 1866 IRB leader James...
of 1867 and was arrested. He later escaped, and in August 1867, called a secret IRB convention at Manchester, where he was declared Chief Organiser of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
(COIR), in succession to Stephens.
Kelly was wanted by the British authorities, and for a time managed to evade capture. But on September 11, 1867, Kelly, along with Timothy Deasy
Timothy Deasy
Timothy Deasy was a Captain in the Irish Republican Brotherhood.He was captured during their abortive uprising in 1867. He was released with a fellow IRB prisoner Colonel Thomas J. Kelly by an attack on a prison van in Manchester. He escaped, but three of his rescuers were executed for their part...
, was arrested in Manchester for loitering. Though they gave false names, they were soon identified and charged with more serious offenses. Seven days later, Kelly and Deasy were being transferred from the courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
to the county jail on Hyde Road, Manchester, when about thirty supporters attempted to free them. During the attack, a policeman was killed, but Kelly and Deasy managed to escape. Three men arrested in connection with the attack were later executed, and thereafter known as the Manchester Martyrs
Manchester Martyrs
The Manchester Martyrs – William Philip Allen, Michael Larkin, and Michael O'Brien – were members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, an organisation dedicated to ending British rule in Ireland. They were executed for the murder of a police officer in Manchester, England, in 1867, during...
. Both Kelly and Deasy escaped to the United States and were never recaptured. Kelly later obtained employment in the New York custom-house.
He was later associated with the Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
in New York. In 1871, he was secretary to the committee which welcomed the "Cuba Five
Cuba Five
The Cuba Five were a group of Irish rebels released from British prisons in 1871 on condition of not entering Britain until the expiration of their original sentences. They chose to accept exile in the United States, travelling on board the ship Cuba. The five men were John Devoy, Jeremiah...
", a group of released Fenian prisoners, to New York.
He died at his residence, 31 East 130th St. in New York, on 5 February 1908. He and his wife, Anna Frances (née Dunne) (May 1860 - September 1913) are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, NY.