Samuel McKee was born
in Pittsburgh, PA in 1840, and attended the military academy
in Frankfort, Kentucky. When the civil war erupted,
he returned to Pennsylvania, where applied to the authorities
for a civilian appointment to the Regular army. Hearing
no response from the authorities, he joined the 62nd Pennsylvania
- while his brother accepted a commission in the 13th PA
Reserves (the "Bucktails").
After the debacle of
First Bull Run, the Regular officers corps was replenished,
and McKee was finally granted a Regular Army commission
in 1861, joining Company. I, 2nd U.S. Infantry as 2nd Lt.
at the age of 21. By the battle of Gaines' Mills, McKee
was promoted to 1st Lt. and had gained the attention of
the senior officers of the 2nd Infantry. McKee's valor
in combat was undeniable. He was wounded in the leg at Gaine's
Mills, led his company at Second Bull Run and at Antietam,
where he was again wounded. By the Fredericksburg Campaign
of December 1862, McKee was promoted to Captain, and took
command of Co. K.
At Chancellorsville,
Capt. McKee briefly took command of the 2nd Infantry after
Capt. Salem Marsh was killed in action. Two months later,
McKee was wounded a third time at Gettysburg, and took command
of the 2nd Infantry after Major Arthur Lee was killed on
July 3rd. With the rest of the 2nd Infanty, Capt. McKee
would spend the next few months recovering after the harrowing
ordeal of Gettysburg.
By early 1864, the
2nd Infantry had re-deployed in northern Virginia to help
secure the area against enemy partisans, including Mosby's
raiders. Insurgent activity had subsided in large
part by February, in part due to the presence of a larger
force of Federal troops, including several small Regular
regiments. In April 1864, Capt. McKee was killed by
enemy guerillas on a wooded country lane in the village
of Greenwich, VA. Capt. McKee and three of his Lieutenants
were visiting acquaintances several miles north of the regiment's
location at Catlett's Station. Near their destination, they
were ambushed by two local residents who were members of
the 4th VA Cavalry.
Capt. McKee's death
was an irreplaceable loss for the Regular Army, and came
just weeks before the Wilderness - one of the last major
engagements the 2nd Infantry would undertake.
