Benjamin Franklin Rittenhouse (December 15, 1839 – March 6, 1915) was a U.S. Army

1st lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

during the American Civil War.

Early life

Rittenhouse was born in Berwick, Pennsylvania, to Benjamin Franklin and Henrietta Waring (Davidson) Rittenhouse, the third of nine children. He received a commission in the Union Army at the outbreak of the Civil War as a

2nd lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

and eventually joined Battery D, 5th United States Artillery commanded by 1st Lieutenant

Charles E. Hazlett Charles Edward Hazlett (October 15, 1838 – July 2, 1863) was a U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant during the American Civil War. He was killed on Little Round Top during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Early life Hazlett was born in Zan ...

Gettysburg

On the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Hazlett's Battery (3rd Division,

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army ...

), consisting of six 3-inch 10-pdr

Parrott rifles The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle-loading rifled artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War. Parrott rifle The gun was invented by Captain Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He was an American soldier and invento ...

, was rushed to the top of Little Round Top by

Brig. Gen. Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

Gouverneur K. Warren. Maneuvering the guns by hand up the steep and rocky slope of the hill was a difficult achievement. However, this effort had little effect on the action of July 2. The artillerymen were exposed to constant

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

fire and could not work the guns effectively. More significantly, they could not depress the guns' barrels sufficiently to defend against incoming infantry attacks. During the intense fighting, Hazlett was mortally wounded and command of the battery passed to Rittenhouse. Brig. Gen. Henry Hunt, the Union chief of artillery, was with Rittenhouse when the Confederate cannonade of July 3 began. They tried to estimate the number of Confederate guns. Later, Rittenhouse was able to fire into the flank of Pickett's Charge with two guns, enfilading the right of the Confederate force. In August 1864, Rittenhouse was brevetted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in March 1865.

Post-war & personal life

Rittenhouse was married to Elizabeth Shapter (1842–1904) in 1868 and together they had four children: Benjamin Franklin (b. 1869), Sterling (1873–1875), Elizabeth Caldwell (1877–1904), and Basil Norris (1879–1945). Rittenhouse retired from the United States Army in October 1874 at the rank of captain. He and his wife are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Publications

*
The Battle of Gettysburg as Seen from Little Round Top: A Paper Read Before the District of Columbia Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, May 4, 1887
, ''War Paper 3'' (Washington, DC: Judd & Detweiler), 1887

Notes

References

* Pfanz, Harry W. ''Gettysburg: The Second Day'' (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press), 1998.

External links

Hazlett's Battery monument at Gettysburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rittenhouse, Benjamin F. 1839 births 1915 deaths United States Army officers People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Union Army officers