Biography

"Erasmus Darwin Keyes (1810–95) was a Union general in the American Civil War. Born in Brimfield, Massachusetts, and raised in Maine, he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1832. Unlike many generals from both the North and the South, he did not see action in the Mexican War. During the first year of the Civil War, he successfully led a battalion in the First Battle of Bull Run (also called the First Battle of Manassas), was appointed to command a division in the Army of the Potomac, and was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers. In 1862 he was appointed to command the newly formed Fourth Corps. As a corps commander, he participated in the Peninsular Campaign of 1862 and was promoted to major general of volunteers. He was later promoted to brigadier general in the regular army for his performance in the Battle of Fair Oaks. In 1863 he was relieved of his command after an unsatisfactory performance in the Gettysburg Campaign." After the Civil War, Keyes moved to San Francisco, where he became a successful businessman, engaging in a wide range of ventures including serving as the president of a Mexican gold mining company in 1867–1869.