Philip Kearny: An
American soldier's gallant fight Information contributed by William B. Styple June
24, 1999 marks the 140th anniversary of the Battle of
Solferino—the most decisive battle of the Italian
Campaign in the Franco-Austrian War which would unify
Italy, set the stage for modern warfare, and result in
the formation of the International Red Cross. This key
world event also would recognize the undaunted American
soldier, Philip Kearny, again proving his bravery on
foreign soil amongst his French comrades. Paris, July 14, 1859 My
two months have been all that a Military Man would have
desired—a school of such grandeur as rarely occurs,
even here in the Old World—and the Drama has been
complete. For Kearny's superb conduct in the campaign—particularly at Solferino—General Morris initiated the process for France to recognize his services. On February 17, 1860, Emperor Napoleon III accorded Kearny the Cross of the Legion d'Honneur (Legion of Honor), France's highest military accolade. He would be the first American to receive the Cross for military service.
The village of Solferino is situated south of Lake Garda between Milan and Verona in northern Italy. The Solferino battlefield is located along the Brescia to Mantua highway (N. 236), at a point 6.4 km southeast of Castiglione delle Stiviere. There is an excellent museum and memorial in the village of Solferino. Above right: A view of the area today in which the Battle of Solferino was fought, photographed from the point where the Austrians were positioned. Bottom left: Philip Kearny in Paris, 1859. Thanks to Bill Styple for sharing this information and these photos.
Index to Kearny's Pages
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In April 1859, the
outbreak of the Franco-Austrian War found the army of
Napoleon III, Emperor of France, in alliance with the
army of Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia (King of
Italy) in an attempt to oust Emperor Franz Joseph's
Austrians from northern Italy. Retired U.S. Army Major
Philip Kearny, then living in Paris at 15, avenue
Matignon, personally applied to the French emperor
for permission to join the Chasseurs d'Afrique in
the Italian Campaign. Kearny had served with the Chasseurs
as a U.S. military observer in Africa in 1840 and wished
to rejoin his old regiment. His request denied, Kearny
instead was given the distinguished honor of an
assignment on the staff of General Morris. Morris,
Kearny's former commander in Africa, had been chosen by
the emperor to lead the Cavalry Division of the Imperial
Guard.
Dressed in uniform as a major of
the First Regiment, U.S. Dragoons, Philip Kearny left
Paris on May 12, 1859, the day after the departure of
Emperor Napoleon III. In a battle comprised of 270,000
men, Kearny fervently fought with the Chasseurs
for more than nine brutal hours. The bloodthirsty
soldiers savagely attacked their adversary, employing
bayonets and repeatedly shooting the wounded with new
guns that fired conical "minié balls"—the
spiral barrel of the rifle afforded greater accuracy.
Along with this new weaponry and ammunition, novel
tactics such as communication via telegraph and the
transportation of troops by rail would be
utilized—later to be seen in the Civil War. The
French Zouaves, who would perform heroic deeds during
this campaign, also would be discovered by Americans and
lionized—evidenced by the scores of Zouave regiments
that would fight in the Civil War, styled after their
French counterparts. (See the article about 
