Miles Keogh: A fighter, a Patriot, a Catholic.

“From the eyes of coal that blazed with flames, his teeth glistening as a fighting grizzly.” That was a Native American description of Irish Captain Myles W. Keogh from the Command of Company “I” in Custer’s Seventh U.S. Calvary. He rode a rejuvenated horse named Commanche, whom was the only known survivor in the Battle of Little Bighorn, better known as Custer’s Last Stand. The gelding horse has had a history of injuries and always overcame the adversity: he was found in a thicket with seven arrows in his body. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keogh was born 1840 in a stone house his father John built, which still stands today. He came from a large Catholic family of eight girls and five boys in the County of Carlow, near the village of Leighlinbridge.

Despite his luxurious living of comfort, his mother Margaret encouraged him to exploit his restlessness and join the Papal Army. Pope Pius IX was seeking an army to preserve the Papal States. The Pope’s call came to the young men of Ireland and Myles joined thousands of Catholic volunteers across Europe and fought in the armies of Piedmont-Sardinia.

By the Feast of St. Gregory Grassi, in July, Keogh was appointed lieutenant of his unit in the Battalion of St. Patrick. He was posted at Ancona, a central port city of Italy. The Papal forces were defeated in September in the battle of Castelfidardo, and Ancona was surrounded. The soldiers although having admirable defense were forced to surrender, and Keogh was imprisoned at Genoa. After his quick release by exchange, Keogh went to Rome and was invited to wear the spirited green uniforms of Company St. Patrick as a member of the Vatican Guard. During his service the Holy See awarded him the Medaglia for gallantry.

As the fighting ceased in Rome, Keogh became restless once again and sought new adventures. A visiting New York Archbishop, John Hughes, found him to be an eager recruit. Hughes was sent to Italy to recruit veterans of the Papal War for service in the Americas by Secretary of the State William Seward. He soon arrived in New York on the steamer “Kangaroo” in the Spring. His comrade from the Papal Army, Joseph O’Keeffe, and his senior Papal Officer, Daniel J. Keily, were assigned to the staff of Brigadier General James Shields.

They notably stormed after Stonewall Jackson’s army in the Shenandoah Valley and nearly captured the furious leader. Jackson may have slipped into the hills, but Keogh’s courageousness mounted patrol didn’t go unnoticed. George B. McClellan the commander of the Potomac Army was impressed with Keogh’s gentlemanlike manners and soldierly appearance.

If you looked for a particular style of a cavalier, Keogh fit the bill to a tee, having a well-groomed uniform, moustache and small goatee. These admirable traits would change his life forever when he and O’Keeffe would be assigned to General Buford’s staff.

Miles Keogh and O’Keeffe served Buford with obedience and gallantry through the campaigns of Fredericksburgh, Chancellorsville, and the enormous battle on June 9th at the Brandy Station, which was practically all cavalry. O’Keefe, raised by his uncle a Jesuit Priest, would be killed at the Battle of Five Forks leading the 2nd New York Cavalry. Keogh went on to pursue Lee’s army into Pennsylvania at the side of Buford.

In the beginning of July at the three-day battle of Gettysburg, Keogh would be Buford’s right hand man by creating a defense against the Confederate advance—despite Lee’s barrage attack of 140 cannons and a final infantry attack. The cannons overshot while the Union army outflanked the infantry thus ending the battle. Keogh’s efforts were recognized by being conferred to the rank of Major.

The battle was over and so were over 50,000 men’s lives with it. However this was a turning point in the war, and Buford’s health. By the winter Buford would succumb to typhoid. Keogh would stay by his side and care for him, while they rested in Washington at the home of an old friend George Stoneman. Bufford was buried at West Point Cemetery, as Keogh attended his funeral at Washington and rode with his body on the train.

Keogh now received a promotion to a full major at Stoneman’s request. Their risky raids behind Confederate lines were designed to free Federal prisoners held at Macon Georgia, and liberate the captives Andersonville prison.

The onslaught failed from the beginning, Keogh and Stoneman’s horseman were surrounded. They were captured after their horses were shot out from under them. Keogh was exchanged through Sherman’s efforts. He thanked God that General Sherman thought enough about him that he was especially exchanged.
At the war’s end he carried his final rank of lieutenant colonel over to the regular army. His first assignment was the 4th Cavalry. He never served and was sent to Ft. Riley, Kansas City, to become the Captain of Company “I” of Custer’s 7th Calvary.

During the ten years of service Keogh became disillusioned with Indian fighting, he was more satisfied with long distance glass bottle shooting.

Keogh and Custer were on tolerable terms of friendship. Custer admittedly wrote a letter about Keogh as absurd to his wife Libby, but would rather have him by his side than others. However, Keogh rarely witnessed any of Custer’s exploits on the frontier. The Captain missed the 7th Calvary’s attack on Black Kettle’s encampment at Washita in the winter campaign of 1868. During the Reconstruction Duty in the South from 1871 to the beginning of 1873, Custer and Keogh were widely dispersed rarely serving the same places. As part as an Army escort Keogh’s company was detached to the Canadian border in the summer of 1873.

In the summer Keogh was on leave to visit his homeland on a seven-month leave of absence, while Custer was leading a controversial expedition through the Black Hills. During this second visit home he deeded his inherited Clifden estate in Kilkenny to his sister Margaret. He enjoyed his stay in his homeland, feeling the necessity to support his sisters after the death of both parents.

In October, Keogh returned to Fort Lincoln for his old duty with Custer, and it would be his last days. As a precaution, he purchased a $10,000 life insurance policy and wrote a letter of warning to a friend for his burial wishes. “We leave Monday on an Indian expedition & if I ever return I will go on and see you all. I have requested to be packed up and shipped to Auburn in case I am killed, and I desire to be buried there. God bless you all, remember if I should die — you may believe that I loved you and every member of your family — it was a second home to me.” He gave out copies of his will to comrades, and left behind personal papers which instructions that they be burned if he was killed.

Miles Keogh: A fighter, a Patriot, a Catholic.