Thomas Hudson Mckee First Lieutenant, United States Army |
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| Thomas
Hudson McKee served in the 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry and was
an aide to Brigadier General Benjamin Franklin Kelley.
General Kelley is buried just to the rear of
Lieutenant McKee's gravesite in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery.
It is rumored that when he died in 1924 his wife, Nancy Matilda Funk McKee,
built a large memorial to the Lieutenant in order to "block the view" of
General Kelley. His wife (1851-1927) is buried with him.
Still the head needed protection as well as
the feet, and, in passing out among my sleeping comrades, I stumbled upon
a hat which later proved to be the property of Lieutenant Thomas H. McKee,
of the 1st West Virginia Regiment, who nightly shared the luxuries of the
floor with me in that immediate neighborhood. Without compunction or unnecessary
ceremony, I placed the hat where it would do the most good for the present,
and proceeded on my way, afterward learning, to my regret, that McKee was
sick that night, and in consequence unable to participate in the escape.
What will serve as a sequel to the story of the hat and boots will appear
later on.
Remarks: Promoted from First Sergeant to Second
Lieutenant, 1 November 1862. Captured by the enemy at Moorefield, West
Virginia, 11 September 1863.
Courtesy of Cleta Glenn: January 2007: Nancy (great-granddaughter of Lieutenant McKee) told me that there is a grave next to the McKees in Arlington. It is that of their daughter, Molly. When Molly died she was divorced and did not
quality to be buried in Arlington. Thomas McKee was a friend of the then
President Teddy Roosevelt. He asked the president for special permission
and was granted a presidential approval to bury Molly in the family plot.
Nancy's father, who was also Thomas Hudson McKee, was reared by his grandfather
and grandmother in Washington D.C.
MCKEE, THOMAS H
GREENSTREET, MARY D/O THOS H MCKEE
Photo Courtesy of Bonnie Windrich Monahan, August 2001 The monument with the large cross and the female figure is that of Lieutenant McKee. The monument for his former commander, Major General Benjamin Franklin Kelley, is directly behind McKee's and has a sculpture of the General on its front. Updated: 25 October 2000 Updated: 20 August 2001 Updated: 3 August 2003 Updated: 8 September 2004 Updated: 14 January 2007 Updated: 18 January 2007 |
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