Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Keogh Family Papers and Photographs
- Dates:
- 1856-1894, bulk 1865-1890
- Extent:
- 0.5 Linear Feet
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
Keogh Family Papers and Photographs, 1856-1894 (Bulk dates: 1865-1890), Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; 89.218; [Item ID] [Date].
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Keogh Family Papers and Photographs contain correspondence, papers and photographs of Keogh returned to his family in Ireland after his death, together with letters received by the family relating to Keogh, and newspaper clippings. The family assembled two albums to honor the memory of Keogh, the first containing original documents and photographs and the second comprising a letter book relating to his service record.
Included are letters from United States government and military officials (1865-1866) supporting Keogh's application for a commission after the Civil War. Correspondents include Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, General George Wheeler Schofield and General Alvan Gillem. An order from General Samuel Sturgis (April 10, 1878) pertains to Keogh's horse, Comanche, which survived him. Letters received by Keogh's sister Margaret relate to his bravery and death in battle. Included are Keogh's commission papers as Brevet Lieutenant Colonel (March 13, 1865) and Captain (July 28, 1866); his U.S. citizenship papers (August 25, 1869); and his passport (August 26, 1869).
Photographs include six of Keogh in uniform and civilian dress, one of his grave, and one of Margaret Martin with a child. Also included are newspaper clippings relating to the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and to Comanche (dates for Schofield, Sturgis, and Gillem verified in: Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1965).
Loose materials from the albums (correspondence, papers, photographs, and newspaper clippings) have been housed in separate folders.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Myles Keogh was born on 1840 March 25 in Orchard, Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, Ireland to John and Margaret Keogh. After finishing school in Leighlinbridge, he attended St. Patrick's College in Carlow.
Keogh had a distinguished military career in both Italy and the United States. He served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Irish Battalion of St. Patrick during the Papal War in 1860. After the war ended, he remained at the Vatican and served as part of the Papal Guard. For his service in the Papal War, he received a Papal Medal and the decoration of The Order of Saint Gregory the Great.
Keogh left Italy for the United States in 1862 to volunteer for service in the Civil War. He served under Brigadier General James Shields, Brigadier General John Buford, General McClelland and General Stoneman, and fought in numerous important Civil War battles including the Battle of Gettysburg. By the end of the Civil War in April of 1865, Keogh had fought in over 80 battles, been taken prisoner with General Stoneman, and was promoted to Major.
After the Civil War, Keogh joined the regular army as Captain in the 7th Cavalry under Custer. He was the 4th Senior Captain of that regiment, and commanded Troop I. From 1866 to 1876, Keogh served as Inspector-General to the staff of General Alfred Scully; enforced government policy concerning the Ku Klux Klan and bootlegging; and escorted the Northern Pacific Boundary Survey on the U.S. Canadian border. He did not participate in Custer's winter campaign of 1868, or the skirmishes in the Yellowstone area and the Black Hills in 1874. His service during these ten years was punctuated by sick leave and a number of trips back to Ireland; he also became engaged to Nelly Martin of the wealthy Throop-Martin family of Auburn, New York. Keogh became a U.S. citizen on 1869 August 25 in New York.
Keogh fought and died with Custer during the Battle of Little Big Horn, 1876 June 25. On that day, Keogh was second-in-command, leading his own troop in addition to several others. Custer's and Keogh's bodies were the only ones that were not scalped or mutilated in any way after the battle. Keogh's body was found near his mount, Comanche, as well as the dead bodies of his own troop. Initially, both he and Custer were buried at the battleground. Keogh was later re-interred with full military honors at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York. Comanche was nursed back to health and then sent to Fort Riley, Kansas, where he remained until his death in 1891.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-10-18 21:20:07 +0000 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Appointments to view materials are required. To make an appointment please visit https://theautry.org/research-collections/library-and-archives and fill out the Researcher Application Form.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Research Services and Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
- Preferred citation:
-
Keogh Family Papers and Photographs, 1856-1894 (Bulk dates: 1865-1890), Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; 89.218; [Item ID] [Date].
- Location of this collection:
-
4700 Western Heritage WayLos Angeles, CA 90027, US
- Contact:
- (747) 201-8448