Benjamin Franklin Larned (September 6, 1794 – September 6, 1862) was an American colonel who served as Paymaster General of the United States Army from July 1854 until his death. Larned was a career officer, fighting in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

and rising from ensign to brevet captain for his service at the Capture of Fort Erie.

Fort Larned Fort Larned National Historic Site preserves Fort Larned which operated from 1859 to 1878. It is approximately west of Larned, Kansas, United States. History The Camp on Pawnee Fork was established on October 22, 1859 to protect traffic al ...

and the nearby town of

Larned, Kansas Larned is a city in and the county seat of Pawnee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,769. History Larned was laid out in 1873. The first post office was established at Larned in 1872. The c ...

, were named in his honor.

Life and career

Larned was born on September 6, 1794, in

Pittsfield Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

, Massachusetts. He served in the War of 1812, enlisting as an ensign and rising to first lieutenant and regimental paymaster during the war. He commanded a company in the Capture of Fort Erie and was brevetted captain for gallantry. Larned served in the pay department for four and a half decades. He rose to deputy paymaster in 1847 as a lieutenant colonel. When

Nathaniel Towson Nathaniel Towson (; January 22, 1784 July 20, 1854), also known as Nathan Towson, was a brevet major general in the United States Army. A career soldier, he fought in the War of 1812 as an artillery officer. He served as paymaster of the Army aft ...

died in 1853, he became paymaster general as a full colonel. Temporarily relieved from this post on July 15, 1862, due to ill health, Larned died on September 6, 1862, in Washington, D.C. Timothy P. Andrews became Paymaster General after him. On May 29, 1860, pursuant to General Order No. 14, a small military post in Kansas was named Fort Larned in his honor. Founded in 1859, the fort is now a national historic site. The nearby town of Larned, Kansas, was also named in honor of Larned, who had never visited Kansas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larned, Benjamin 1794 births 1862 deaths Burials in Massachusetts Paymaster-General of the United States Army People from Massachusetts in the War of 1812 People from Pittsfield, Massachusetts United States Army colonels United States Army paymasters United States Army personnel of the War of 1812