These four brothers were following a family tradition of military service when they served in the Mexican - American War. Their father, Sims Kelly, and uncle, William Durham Kelly, were privates in Russell’s Separate Battalion, Mounted Gunmen of Tennessee Volunteers in the War of 1812 and their grandfather, William Stark Kelly, had been a private in North Carolina Militia during the Revolutionary War.
William Clark Kelly
9 Jan 1815 TN – 29 June 1864 TX
Samuel Camp Kelly
25 Mar 1825 TN - 16 Sep 1891 AL
Benjamin Gerard Kelly
11 Dec 1826 TN - 9 May 1911 OK
James H. Kelly
2 Sep 1828 TN - 1 Aug 1905 AL
Sons of Sims Kelly & Mary Camp
The Mexican - American War (1846-1848) marked the first U.S. armed conflict chiefly fought on foreign soil. It pitted a politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against the expansionist-minded administration of U.S. President James K. Polk, who believed the United States had a “manifest destiny” to spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. A border skirmish along the Rio Grande started off the fighting and was followed by a series of U.S. victories. When the dust cleared, Mexico had lost about one-third of its territory, including nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.[i]
These four brothers all served as privates in the Mexican – American War in Coffee’s Alabama Militia Infantry. Samuel[ii] and Benjamin[iii] were in Company I. William[iv] was in Company C and James[v] was in Company E.
The brothers who remained in Alabama, James and Samuel, also served in the Civil War. James was a private in Company D, 1st Battalion of Alabama Infantry.[vi] Samuel was a Sargent in Company H of the 1st Alabama Infantry.
Samuel Camp Kelly served with distinction in the Mexican War under Gen. Zachary Taylor, and later under Gen. Scott. … Samuel Camp Kelly enlisted in the Confederate Army in April, 1862, and served in all the battles in which the Western Army was engaged, surrendering with Johnston in North Carolina, April 26, 1865. After the war he moved to Oxford, Ala., where he resided until his death, an influential and valued citizen, taking an interest in every public enterprise, and contributing generously to Oxford College.[vii]
[i] Mexican – American War; digital information, History (history.com: accessed May 2022).
[ii] Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Mexican War; NARA, digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed March 2022) Samuel C Kelly.
[iii] Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Mexican War; NARA, digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed March 2022) Benjamin G Kelly.
[iv] Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Mexican War; NARA, digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed March 2022) William Kelly.
[v] Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the Mexican War; NARA, digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed March 2022) James H. Kelly.
[vi] Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama; NARA, digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed March 2022) James Kelly.
[vii] DuBose, Joel Campbell. Notable Men of Alabama: Personal and Genealogical With Portraits, Volume I (Spartanburg, SC: The Reprint Company, 1976) Genealogy Gophers (gengophers.com: accessed June 2020) 323-325.
Related Posts:
- Military Service: Jeremiah Smith, War of 1812
- Military Service: Moses Brown, War of 1812
- Soldiers in Our Family (on my website)
Colleen, you have an "Awesome" history of male ancestors serving in the military. My thanks for their service and sacrifice.
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