Wounded four times during the Civil War!

Colonel 110th Ohio Infantry

United States Congressman from Ohio

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

(1836-1932) Born near Springfield, Ohio, he was a lawyer by occupation. He was appointed major of the 3rd Ohio Infantry on April 27, 1861, and served in western Virginia fighting in the battles of Rich Mountain and Cheat Mountain, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel, on February 27, 1862. He was then commissioned colonel of the 110th Ohio Infantry, on September 30, 1862, and served in the Eastern Theater leading his regiment at the second battle of Winchester. While the Union army was soundly defeated, and most of it surrendered, Keifer's regiment was able to avoid capture. Following the battle of Gettysburg, Keifer was assigned to brigade command in the 3rd Corps, and fought at the battle of Wapping Heights. After General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had retreated to the safety of Virginia, Keifer and his regiment were dispatched to New York City to help suppress the 1863 draft riots. He was promoted to brevet brigadier general, on October 19, 1864, for gallantry in the battles of Opequan, Fisher's Hill and Middletown, Va., and brevet major general, on April 9, 1865, for his role in the Petersburg and Appomattox campaigns. He was wounded four times during the Civil War: June 13, 1863, at Winchester, Va.; June 14, 1863, at Winchester, Va.; May 5, 1864, at the Wilderness, Va.; and September 19, 1864, at Opequan, Va. After the Civil War he returned to his law practice in Ohio, and then went into politics. He served as a U.S. Congressman from Ohio, 1877-85, and 1905-11, he was Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1881-83, and was Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief of the G.A.R., 1871-72. During the Spanish–American War, President William McKinley appointed Keifer to the rank of major general of volunteers on June 9, 1898. He commanded the 7th Army Corps, and the American forces that marched into Havana on January 1, 1899. After he returned to private life in Ohio, Keifer published, "Slavery and Four Years of War," in 1900. The book was both a commentary on the history of slavery in the United States as well as an autobiography of his own experiences during the Civil War. He served as the first commander in chief of the United Spanish War Veterans from 1900-01, and in 1903-04 he was the Ohio commander of the Loyal Legion. He died on April 22, 1932, at the age of 96, in Springfield, and is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery, in Springfield, Ohio.

Signature With Closing From Letter: 3 3/8 x 1 3/4, in ink, "Very Truly Yours, J. Warren Keifer," mounted to piece of an album page. There is a small hole in the paper that has the autograph on it. It causes the loss of the bottom of the "y" in "Very," the bottom of the "T" in "Truly" and it touches the long extension of the "W" in "Warren." There is a very small area of wear with slight paper loss at the upper right edge which does not touch any of the writing. Boldly written.