Rufus King Jr. (March 21, 1838 – March 18, 1900) was an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient.

Family

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Rufus King Jr. was the son of

Rufus King Rufus King (March 24, 1755April 29, 1827) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention and was one of the signers of the Unit ...

, a graduate of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, Class of 1833, and

brigadier general 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 ...

during the Civil War, and the brother of Charles King, who was a military commander in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. His great-grandfather was

, who was one of the signers of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

Military career

The younger King entered the army as a private in Company F,

7th New York Militia The 7th Regiment of the New York Militia, aka the "Silk Stocking" regiment, was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Also known as the "Blue-Bloods" due to the disproportionate number of its members who were part o ...

, serving a three-month enlistment from April to June 1861. He acquired a direct commission as a

first 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 ...

in the regular U.S. Army, and was assigned to the

4th U.S. Artillery The 4th Air Defense Artillery Troupe was constituted 1 June 1821 in the Regular Army as the 4th Regiment of Artillery and organized from new and existing units with headquarters at Pensacola, Florida. As a result of the division of the Artillery ...

, on August 5, 1861. He served in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

throughout the war, eventually commanding (from 1864)

4th U.S. Light Artillery, Battery A Battery "A" 4th Regiment of Artillery was a light artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service * Consolidated with Battery C, 4th U.S. Light Artillery from October 1861 until October 18, 1862. * Sumner's ...

, in the famed

U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade The Horse Artillery Brigade of the Army of the Potomac was a brigade of various batteries of horse artillery during the American Civil War. Made up almost entirely of individual, company-strength batteries from the Regular Army's five artillery ...

. Lieutenant King was awarded one brevet promotion (to captain) for his bravery during the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, command ...

, in actions at the Battle of White Oak Swamp, on June 30, 1862. During that fight, King ranked only as a section chief, took command of combined Batteries A & C, 4th U.S. Artillery, when his commander was wounded. At the end of the war, King was brevetted

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 ...

for conduct during the war, but would have to wait until 1869 to receive his permanent promotion to captain. He was honorably mustered out of the Army on January 1, 1871. Rufus King has been incorrectly credited with designing a

disappearing gun A disappearing gun, a gun mounted on a ''disappearing carriage'', is an obsolete type of artillery which enabled a gun to hide from direct fire and observation. The overwhelming majority of carriage designs enabled the gun to rotate back ...

carriage known as King's Depression Carriage in the late 1860s. This carriage was, in fact, designed by William Rice King, of the Army Corps of Engineers. This used a counterweight to allow a 15-inch (381 mm)

Rodman gun Drawing comparing Model 1844 8-inch columbiad and Model 1861 10-inch "Rodman" columbiad. The powder chamber on the older columbiad is highlighted by the red box. The Rodman gun is any of a series of American Civil War–era columbiads designed by ...

to be moved up and down a swiveling ramp, so the weapon could be reloaded, elevated, and traversed behind cover. It was not adopted. Part of a test installation at

Fort Foote Fort Foote was an American Civil War-era wood and earthwork fort that was part of the wartime defenses of Washington, D.C., which helped defend the Potomac River approach to the city. It operated from 1863 to 1878, when the post was abandoned, ...

, Maryland remains.King's Depression Carriage at the Historical Marker Database
/ref> King was a Veteran companion of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

and an hereditary companion of the

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

. Major King died in New York on March 18, 1900. He was buried at the Evergreen Cemetery and Crematory, Hillside, Union County, New Jersey, Plot: 42-Lawn Plot, Map 5.

The Medal of Honor

On March 22, 1898, the United States Army finally awarded King the Medal of Honor for his actions at White Oak Swamp. Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 4th U.S. Artillery. Place and date: At White Oak Swamp Bridge, Va., June 30, 1862. Entered service at: New York. Birth: New York. Date of issue: April 2, 1898. Citation:

This officer, when his captain was wounded, succeeded to the command of two batteries while engaged against a superior force of the enemy and fought his guns most gallantly until compelled to retire.

Notes

References

* *Heitman, Francis B. ''Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789 to March 2, 1903''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903. *U.S. War Department. ''The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1894.

External links