The 79th New York and Its Boy Preacher

Arriving in New York in the late 1850s as a teenager from his native Scotland, Crammond Kennedy quickly gained fame as the “Boy Preacher,” captivating audiences in the public square, meeting halls, and churches with his remarkable oratorical skill. After studying at Madison University (now Colgate), he was commissioned in 1863 as chaplain of the 79th New York Infantry Regiment, also known as the Highland Guard.

Before Reverend Kennedy joined the regiment, the 79th had initially camped in Central Park before embarking on service that included both Battles of Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. In 1864, the 79th took part in the Overland Campaign, with Kennedy likely present at the Battle of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor. He was later breveted for his service in East Tennessee.

Following the Civil War, Reverend Kennedy toured Scotland and England for two years, lecturing on the rebellion. Upon returning to the United States, he became associated with the Freedmen’s Bureau, an organization devoted to aiding the 3.5 million formerly enslaved people freed at the war’s end. On December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery nationwide.

In 1869, Kennedy became editor and owner of the Church Union, which grew into an influential publication. That same year, he began a collaboration with Henry Ward Beecher. Together, they established Christian Union, where Kennedy served as managing editor. During this period, he also authored Close Communion or Open Communion?, a significant work contributing to one of the major Protestant theological debates of the era.

Kennedy graduated from Columbia University Law School in 1878 and went on to practice law in New York and later in Washington, D.C. A respected attorney, he argued cases before high courts and wrote frequently for leading journals on topics ranging from U.S. trade and foreign policy to the importance of a free press. A writer of fine poetry and fiction, he also published Corn in the Blade: Poems and Thoughts in Prose, a work of notable literary quality.

Rev. Crammond Kennedy died on February 19, 1918, in Washington, D.C., at the age of 75. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.