John Reese Kenly

John Reese Kenly
Born	(1818-01-11)January 11, 1818 Baltimore, Maryland
Died	Baltimore, Maryland
Place of burial	Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1846 - 1848, 1861 - 1865
Rank	Brigadier general Brevet Major General
Commands held	1st Maryland Volunteer Infantry
Battles/wars	Mexican-American War American Civil War *Battle of Harpers Ferry
Other work	Lawyer

John Reese Kenly (January 11, 1818 – December 20, 1891) was an American lawyer, and a Union general in the American Civil War.

Biography

Kenly was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1845, but went to the Mexican-American War as a lieutenant with a company of volunteers he had raised and was later promoted to the rank of major. He entered the American Civil War as colonel of the 1st Regiment Maryland Volunteer Infantry organized at Baltimore, Maryland, which was mustered into Union service on May 16, 1861. Together with some Pennsylvania companies, it was captured by Stonewall Jackson, after hard fighting, at Front Royal on the Shenandoah, May 23, 1862. Kenly himself was severely wounded when he was taken prisoner, but his stand had saved General Banks's division at Winchester, and he was raised to the command of a brigade in 1862, which he led at Hagerstown, Harpers Ferry, and elsewhere.

Kenly joined the Army of the Potomac after the Battle of Gettysburg and was assigned to I Corps during the Bristoe Campaign and the Battle of Mine Run, commanding the third division of the corps. Afterwards, he was assigned to the Middle Department, commanding the Third Separate Brigade in 1864.

Kenly died in Baltimore, Maryland, and is buried there in Green Mount Cemetery.

See also

• List of American Civil War generals

References

• Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.

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