This Memorial Day weekend, many of us find ourselves walking through cemeteries, pausing at rows of graves marked with American flags. Some headstones display metal medallions or military flag holders identifying a veteran's service in a specific war.
Remembering General J. Warren Keifer
One such figure is General Joseph Warren Keifer of Springfield, Ohio. While many may recognize the name from Keifer Academy, an alternative learning school in the Springfield City School District (now renamed the School of Innovation), few may realize it originally honored a prominent local leader.
A visit to General Keifer’s gravesite offers a hint at his military history. Alongside his headstone at Ferncliff Cemetery stands a military grave marker for the Spanish-American War. Though he first rose to prominence as a Union officer, Keifer later commanded U.S. forces in Cuba with distinction.
General Keifer’s impressive military career spanned two major conflicts, leaving an enduring mark on both local and national history. From the battlefields of the Civil War to his leadership role in the Spanish-American War, his service reflects a lifetime of dedication to the country. In this post, we used Fold3 to retrace Keifer’s path of service. Throughout the article, click on the embedded links to view original military records, photos, and historical documents.
From Farm Fields to Battlefields
Joseph Warren Keifer was born on January 30, 1836, in Bethel Township, Clark County, Ohio. He studied law and began practicing in Springfield, but his path soon turned to war.
With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to help put down the rebellion. Keifer enlisted in the 3rd Ohio Infantry, a three-month regiment, at Camp Jackson in Columbus on April 25, 1861, and was appointed major. He served in western Virginia, fighting in the battles of Rich Mountain and Cheat Mountain, and was later promoted to lieutenant colonel of the regiment.
When his term expired, Keifer continued his military service by helping organize the 110th Ohio Infantry, becoming its colonel on October 3, 1862. The regiment was soon sent to West Virginia and, by early 1863, had marched to Winchester to serve with the Army of the Potomac. At the Second Battle of Winchester, Keifer led his regiment in a fierce defense against Confederate forces. While the Union army suffered a major defeat and many soldiers were captured, Keifer’s regiment managed to avoid surrender and retreated to Harper’s Ferry.
Following the Battle of Gettysburg, Keifer was assigned to brigade command in the 3rd Corps and fought at Wapping Heights. As General Robert E. Lee’s army retreated into Virginia, Keifer and his regiment were sent to New York City to help suppress the violent draft riots that broke out in the summer of 1863.
He returned to the Army of the Potomac in time for General Grant’s Overland Campaign in 1864. Keifer was wounded in the arm at the brutal Battle of the Wilderness, briefly sidelining him from active duty. Upon his return, he was placed in command of the 2nd Brigade in James B. Ricketts’s 3rd Division of the VI Corps, leading his men in battles at Winchester and Fisher’s Hill.
During the pivotal Battle of Cedar Creek in October 1864, Keifer found himself temporarily in command of the 3rd Division. As the chain of command shifted—General Wright stepping up to lead the Army of the Shenandoah and Ricketts wounded in battle—Keifer assumed division leadership just as General Philip Sheridan made his dramatic return to rally Union forces. Keifer led the division through the rest of the fight, playing a key role in turning the tide of the battle.
For his service during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, President Lincoln nominated Keifer for the rank of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, effective October 19, 1864. The U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on February 14, 1865. He later took part in the breakthrough at Petersburg and pursued Lee’s retreating forces to Appomattox. In recognition of his contributions, Keifer was breveted as a major general, effective April 9, 1865—the day of Lee’s surrender.
Over the course of the war, Keifer and the 110th Ohio Infantry saw action in twenty major battles, suffering 795 casualties. The regiment was mustered out on June 25, 1865. Keifer himself was officially discharged on July 4, 1865, having served under renowned Union generals including Grant, Meade, Wright, and Sheridan.
Following the war, Keifer returned to Springfield, Ohio, and resumed his law practice.
A Return to Duty in the Spanish-American War
Decades later, during the Spanish-American War, Keifer again answered the call. At the age of 62, President McKinley appointed him major general of volunteers on June 9, 1898. He was given command of the 7th Army Corps, which included thousands of troops preparing for deployment to Cuba.
On January 1, 1899, General Keifer led American forces into Havana as the Spanish withdrew, marking the symbolic start of U.S. occupation and the end of Spain’s colonial presence in the region. He was honorably discharged in May 1899.
After returning to private life on May 12, 1899, Keifer published Slavery and Four Years of War in 1900—a work that combined historical commentary on American slavery with a personal account of his Civil War experiences. He died on April 22, 1932, at the age of 96, and was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is more than a long weekend—it’s a time to reflect on the service of people like General Keifer, who stepped away from civilian life to serve in moments of national crisis. The Library has many writings and speeches by General Kiefer in our local history collection. He happened to give a Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1879. Keifer (1879) orated,
"Having spoken of our dead comrades--their achievements, their honor, their true glory--and rendered to them a full meed of praise, it remains to briefly call attention to the continuing duty of the living. While we proceed to complete the work of crowning the graves of these silent dead with jewels of devotion and love, let us draw new inspiration from their life and heroic death.
The history of all nations teaches that frequent recurrence to the principles which animated their patriots in times of peril is essential to the preservation and perpetuation of the results of their grand achievements.
The living are called upon by the same high obligation to preserve and perpetuate the results of these achievements as were the dead in their time called upon for their accomplishment.
When danger threatens, we should imitate their high resolve.
In the presence of the tombs of our dead comrades we should learn anew the lesson of their heroic lives.
Imbuded with their patriotism, their love of constitutional liberty and the spirit of nationality, let us transmit these qualities unimpaired to our posterity...
Comrades, let these silent dead speak and teach us the solemn and impressive lesson of the hour; speak, and thrill us with new inspiration and fervid devotion for our common country; speak, and swear us, by the memory of their deeds of valor, by their sufferings and wrongs, and by the Heaven consecrated blood of above five hundred thousand of our comrades who muster on fields of glory beyond the grave, that we will be true, while life lasts, to liberty and the Union.
Let this nation be filled with these silent but inspiring voices of the dead" (p. 10).
As we place flags and flowers this Memorial Day, may we not only honor the memory of those who served but also, as General Keifer urged, renew our own devotion to the ideals for which they gave their lives: liberty, unity, and the enduring strength of a nation. The duty of remembrance is not passive. It is an active promise to preserve the freedoms hard-won in blood and sacrifice. Let us rise to that responsibility—not just this weekend, but always.
Want to Learn More?
Digging Into the Past With Fold3
Keifer's long and decorated career comes alive through the historical records found in Fold3. These include military appointment documents, rosters, battle reports, and more. They provide not only dates and titles, but a deeper sense of Keifer’s progression through the ranks, the battles he fought, and the national events he helped shape. There are hundreds more documents tied to Keifer, but I'll admit that I have a hard time reading his and others' handwriting.
Whether you’re researching a family member or exploring local history, Fold3 allows you to honor veterans not just in memory, but through knowledge. Use your library card to access Fold3 through our Online Resources page, and explore military service records, pension files, photographs, and more.
You can also explore our Military History Digital Archive, which highlights important local military materials preserved by our library.
References
Fold3. (n.d.). Military records archive. Ancestry. https://www.fold3.com/
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