Brigadier General Stephen Vincent Benét (January 22, 1827 – January 22, 1895) was a career officer in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
and served as the
8th Chief of Ordnance for the
U.S. Army Ordnance Corps.
Early life
Stephen Vincent Benét was born in
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...
, on 22 January 1827, the son of a prominent political figure of Spanish descent. His grandfather, a native of
Minorca
Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the is ...
, had settled in St. Augustine toward the end of the 18th century, and a great uncle had been a captain in the Spanish Navy.
At the age of 12, young Benét entered a private school in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...
, where he compiled an outstanding record over a period of several years. On the strength of this background, he was admitted to the
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
as a junior, but left before completing his course to enter
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
in June 1845. He was the first cadet ever admitted from his home state of Florida, which had been admitted to the Union just three months previously. Originally determined to pursue a career in law, Benét had considered remaining in the Army for a comparatively short period of time. He nonetheless consistently remained one of the top students in his class. He ultimately stood third in his class of 1849.
Family

His son Laurence Vincent Benét was a longtime engineer at
Hotchkiss et Cie
Société Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Hotchkiss et Compagnie was a French arms and, in the 20th century, automobile manufacturer first established by American gunsmith Benjamin B. Hotchkiss. He moved to France and set up a factory, first ...
, best known for designing the
Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié machine gun
Hotchkiss may refer to:
Places Canada
* Hotchkiss, Alberta
* Hotchkiss, Calgary
United States
* Hotchkiss, Colorado
* Hotchkiss, Virginia
* Hotchkiss, West Virginia
Business and industry
* Automobiles Hotchkiss, a French automobile manufact ...
, also participating in multiple other projects. His other son, James Walker Benét, became a colonel and parented three best-known General Benét's grandchildren,
William Rose Benét
William Rose Benét (February 2, 1886 – May 4, 1950) was an American poet, writer, and editor. He was the older brother of Stephen Vincent Benét.
Early life and education
He was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Col. James Walker Benét ...
,
Stephen Vincent Benét
Stephen Vincent Benét ( ; July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He wrote a book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, '' John Brown's Body'', published in 1928, for which he receive ...
, and
Laura Benét, who went to become distinguished twentieth century writers.
Family tree
* Stephen Vincent Benét (1827–1895)
* Laura Amanda Walker (1833–1900)
* Esteban “Stephen” Benét (?-1812), grandfather
* Catalina Antonia Hernandez (1779–1846), grandmother
* Pedro Jose Lucio Benét (1798–1870), father
* Juana Hernandez (1800–1884), mother
* Estanislada Francisca Benét (1828–1897), brother
* Isabel F. Benét (1835–1915), sister
* Peter Leandro Benét (1837–1882), brother
* Joseph Ravina Benét (1844–1906), sister
* Laurence Vincent Benét (1865–1948), son
* James Walker Benét (1857–1928), son
*
Laura Benét (1884–1979), granddaughter
*
William Rose Benét
William Rose Benét (February 2, 1886 – May 4, 1950) was an American poet, writer, and editor. He was the older brother of Stephen Vincent Benét.
Early life and education
He was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Col. James Walker Benét ...
(1886–1950), grandson
*
Stephen Vincent Benét II (1898–1943), grandson
* James Walker Benét (1914–2012), great-grandson
* Frances Rosemary Benét (1915–1980), great-grandson
* Stephanie Jane Benét (1924–2005), great-granddaughter
* Thomas Carr Benét (1926–2016), great-grandson
* Rachel Felicity Benét (1931–1990), great-granddaughter
Military career
During the 1850s, Benét served in a variety of posts at
Watervliet,
Frankford, and
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
Arsenals, and also taught geography, history, ethics and law at the
Military Academy.
Promoted to captain in August 1861, Benét was again detailed to West Point, this time as an instructor in ordnance and gunnery. By 1864, he had been made commandant of
Frankford Arsenal
The Frankford Arsenal is a former United States Army ammunition plant located adjacent to the Bridesburg neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, north of the original course of Frankford Creek.
History
Opened in 1816 on of lan ...
, a post he held for five years. In May 1865, Benét was awarded brevets of major and lieutenant colonel for faithful and meritorious service as an ordnance officer during the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. Benét created and patented an internally primed
center-fire cartridge in 1868.
When the Dyer Court of Inquiry was convened in 1868, Benét, by then a major, was assigned the task of serving as an expert witness in defense of his chief. He subsequently served on the Ordnance Board for a short time, inspected ordnance and projectiles, and experimented with
Parrott guns at
Cold Spring, New York
Cold Spring is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the town of Philipstown, New York, Philipstown in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 1,986 at the 2020 census. It borders the smaller village of Ne ...
.
On the death of General Dyer in June 1874, Benét was appointed brigadier general and the
8th Chief of Ordnance for the
U.S Army Ordnance Corps. General Benét's tenure of nearly seventeen years was marked by the development of new facilities at the various ordnance installations around the country.
Sandy Hook Proving Ground was established in August 1874. The Ordnance Board studied and recommended significant improvements for field artillery, including breech loaders, high angle fire weapons, elevating mechanisms to allow curved fire with reduced powder charges, uniform construction of interchangeable wheels, and folding trail handspikes. Considerable experimentation was carried on with seacoast guns, armor plate, and high explosives. The early modern machine guns were given some attention after they were first introduced in 1884, and work was also done on a pneumatic dynamite gun. General Benét was also credited with having successfully pressed for retention of the Arsenal system despite determined efforts by private industry to take over all weapons production. The General retired on his 64th birthday, January 22, 1891. During his four years in retirement, Benét was increasingly troubled by ill health, and he died in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, on his 68th birthday, January 22, 1895. He was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia.
...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benét, Stephen Vincent
1827 births
1895 deaths
American people of Spanish descent
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
People from St. Augustine, Florida
Union army officers
United States Army generals
United States Military Academy alumni