Philip Kearny: an American hero and a Jersey son of a gun

Longtime readers may remember an early reference to one of our favorite military personalities, Phil Kearny. In this installment, our resident Civil War expert Ivan brings us more perspective on this fascinating adopted New Jerseyan. Take it away, Ivan!

We at Hidden New Jersey revel in finding interesting historic or natural sites that are little known by today’s Garden State residents. However, in this installment, we are highlighting a true American hero; closely associated with New Jersey, who died in battle. It is perhaps the most hidden New Jersey of all when reminders of our storied past are present in plain sight but we forget the stories of those who inspired these statues and monuments. On this, the 150th anniversary of his death we choose to remember Philip Kearny. Although born in New York City, he was a member of a family whose New Jersey residents date back to at least the eighteenth century, and Phil spent much of his early years at the family homestead in Newark. 

Kearny is honored with a statue in front of
the post office in the town that bears his name.

As he grew to adulthood, Kearny’s father wanted Phil to study law but Phil’s interest lay in a military career. He was reputed to be an excellent horseman and the fact that his uncle was Stephen Kearny, an army officer since the War of 1812, certainly did not hurt Phil’s military ambitions. Unfortunately, his father’s objections (largely in the form of a threat to Phil’s inheritance) sidelined his military career in favor of the law. However, once Phil inherited a sum of over a million dollars upon his grandfather’s death in 1836, he finally had the independence to pursue his own chosen career track.

Phil was commissioned a second lieutenant and started his career at Fort Leavenworth in 1837. He lost an arm in the Mexican War, but that did not deter now Major Phil Kearny. He managed to learn to ride a horse one-armed and stayed in the army until his irascible and stubborn personality led to enough conflicts to persuade him to resign his commission. Once the Civil War began, though, Phil belied the expression “A rich man’s war but a poor man’s fight” by volunteering his services to the Union cause.

Awarded a Brigadier General’s commission and command of the New Jersey Brigade, Kearny distinguished himself as a fighter on the field but continued his penchant for fighting with his colleagues as well. Perhaps most significant was his strong criticism of his commander, George McClellan. Kearny objected to McClellan’s lack of aggressive leadership during the Peninsula campaign of 1862. In fact, during that series of battles Phil once exhorted his men in battle by crying "I'm a one-armed Jersey son-of-a-gun, follow me!” In a driving rainstorm during the Battle of Chantilly on September 1, 1862, Kearny found himself in the Confederate lines. Although called on to surrender, he wheeled his horse around and tried to escape. He was shot dead almost immediately. Kearny was held in such high esteem that Confederate commander Robert E. Lee sent his body back to Union lines under a flag of truce.

Kearny's profile adorns the New Jersey Brigade
monument at Gettysburg, a sign of the loyalty of the men
who fought under his command.

Even after his death, Kearny was an inspiration to the Jerseymen who fought in the Civil War. His profile is featured on a New Jersey monument at Gettysburg, even though he died ten months before that battle was fought. He now rests at Arlington National Cemetery.

Today, most New Jerseyans have not heard of Phil Kearny though his last name is familiar to many in the northern part of the state. The Hudson County community where he once lived is named in his honor, though his mansion, Belle Grove (known to locals as Kearny’s Castle), no longer stands. Statues of him adorn the grounds of the Kearny Post Office and Newark’s Military Park. If you see them, we hope you will now know and appreciate the man behind the bronze, and perhaps will give him a silent salute of respect.

Williamsburg on the Delaware? Visiting colonial Burlington

As much as I'm a New Jersey booster, it's rare that I get really blown away on one of our visits.

My visit to Burlington blew me away. I knew there was history there, but I didn't realize I'd get bombarded by it as soon as I turned off of Route 130 and onto High Street. The vast majority of buildings I saw were well over 100 years old, some even 200 and older. I mean, even the PSE&G customer service office gets into the act, housed in an old colonial-era building and labeled with a hand-painted sign. (No logo there!)

That first impression was confirmed repeatedly as I walked around town. How in heck Burlington doesn't get more notice as a true historical gem, I'll never understand. Consider that it is or has been:

West Jersey Surveyor General's office (similar to the one
for East Jersey in Perth Amboy)

• The Provincial Capital of West Jersey 
• The birthplace of a noted American writer, a hero of the War of 1812 and an early governor of the state
• Site of the oldest home in Burlington County and among the oldest in the state.
• Home of of the state's oldest library and oldest continually-operated pharmacy (not in the same building, of course)

In short, it's a New Jersey blogger's dream!

Captain James Lawrence's birthplace on High Street.

I first stopped by the Historical Society on High Street for a little guidance. This modern building is in the yard behind James Fenimore Cooper's house and the birthplace of Captain James Lawrence of "Don't give up the ship!" fame. A researcher there provided me with a small map and told me that regrettably, no tours were available. I'd brought my handy WPA Guide to New Jersey, which would be of some help, but I wish I'd checked the very informative City of Burlington Historic District website before I left the house. (If you're planning a visit, stop there first!)

One of the many vintage buildings
in E. Broad Street's commercial area.

Burlington comes by its vintage legitimately. Founded in 1677, it boasts the site of the first European settlement in New Jersey, populated by French Walloons on Burlington Island in 1624. The land passed to the English in 1664, ushering in the Quakers who developed this Delaware River community into a major port. Unfortunately the city's shipping industry was eventually overtaken by Philadelphia's, but the prosperity it brought is clearly evident in the 18th and 19th century architecture.

Besides the sheer volume of historical places still existing there, and the number of notables who called Burlington home at one time or another, there's the architecture. A portion of the historic area is on the National Register of Historic Places, but it's worth taking a stroll around to see the rest. You'll want to see the homes of notable past residents, but many built by the less famous also have plaques stating their ages and previous owners.

What struck me was how authentic it all felt -- because it is. Many homeowners have lovingly restored or preserved their property, but there's still a feeling of weathered experience in the buildings, kind of like an older person who's concerned about his health but not afraid to show some wrinkles and gray hair. If it weren't for the cars parked along the street, you could find yourself transported back 150 years or more.

Voorhees, the final frontier....

Quick! Who was the first New Jerseyan in space? And who was the first state native to set foot on the moon? I'll give you two hints: they're not the same person, and they're honored somehow in Voorhees State Park.

A road marker brought Ivan and me to discover this previously unknown (at least to us) gem. You might have noticed one yourself on Route 78 or Route 22: a brown sign that enigmatically says "NJAA Observatory," with no other explanation. The traveler is left to wonder what NJAA is, and what they're observing. New Jersey Automobile Association, watching traffic? New Jersey Alcoholics Anonymous, keeping members on the path to sobriety? This time we decided to take the detour and find out.

A little blurry -- perhaps the state's largest publicly-available
telescope would have put it into sharper focus.

Another sign on County Route 513 brings you into Voorhees State Park, through deep woods and to higher elevation. Surprisingly, Ivan didn't want to stop to do any birding, having had poor luck there in the past. We continued driving until we reached a sign stating "Paul Robinson Observatory/Home of the New Jersey Astronomical Assn."

Why hadn't we considered an actual space observatory as a possibility? It makes some sense: altitude, distance from the light pollution of heavily-populated areas, and surrounding land that likely will never be developed. The skies aren't as reliably clear as those at Mauna Kea in Hawaii, but then the average observer doesn't have to worry about sudden bouts of hypoxia, either.

The observatory was conceived in 1965 by a group of seven men who wanted to share the science of astronomy with others. Led by Paul Robinson, they eventually were able to lease land from the state, build the facility and obtain a 26 inch diameter mirror telescope from Indiana University. The larger of two buildings is named for Montclair native Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, who was the second human (and first New Jerseyan) to set foot on the moon. A smaller adjacent observatory building is named for Hackensack-born Wally Schirra, who was the fifth American (first New Jerseyan) in space and the first human to make three trips into space.

Unfortunately the place was closed when we stopped by -- they don't have winter hours until the last weekend of February, probably because the road wouldn't be that reliable after snow and ice storms. If you visit when they're not open, you can still check out the outdoor virtual solar system, which includes wayside signs describing each planet of our solar system, sited in proportion to their true spatial relationship to one another. We wondered if Pluto was still part of the exhibit, given its demotion from planet status, but decided it was unlikely anyone had ever walked out that far to see the sign, anyway.

The observatory is on our ever growing list of things to return to, once it's open again. Check out the NJAA website for operating days and hours, plus a full schedule of lectures and events.