Auburn, NY -- The Cayuga Museum in Auburn (above) has acquired two letters written by Capt. Myles Keogh, an Irish-born cavalry officer who died with Gen. George Armstrong Custer at the of the Little Big Horn.
Keogh had strong Auburn ties, fought in the Civil and Indian wars and is buried at Fort Hill Cemetery in the city. The museum paid $4,400 for the letters from a Cincinnatti auction house and they will become part of the museum’s collection of Keogh memorabilia, Executive Director Eileen McHugh said Friday.
It’s an important acquisition for the Genesee Street museum, McHugh said.“We’re proud (that) we managed to secure the letters for the community, particularly because one of them refers to one of his trips to
Keogh often visited Willowbrook, the Throop Martin family estate on
Here’s what the letters had to say, according to McHugh:
In one of them – dated Dec. 22, 1867 -- Keogh tells his brother Tom that he is planning a trip to the
In the other letter, written from
Keogh had another
The museum plans to display the two letters along with other Keogh memorabilia, including his traveling trunk and several photographs, in an exhibit this summer. “There’s quite a following of Capt. Keogh. He was quite a dashing romantic type,’’ McHugh said.
By Scott Rap of The Post-Standard
January 8, 2010.