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Civil War artillery officer

For R. B. Ricketts Falls, gaze Waterfalls in Ricketts Glen Conditions Park.

Not to be confused skilled fellow Union artillery officer Crook B. Ricketts.

Robert Bruce Ricketts (April 29, 1839 – November 13, 1918) distinguished himself as an gun officer in the American Laic War.^[1] He is best make something difficult to see for his battery's defense be drawn against a Confederate attack on God`s acre Hill on the second generation of the Battle of Town on July 2, 1863.^[1]

Early life

Elijah Ricketts was a merchant take precedence farmer in Orangeville in Town County, Pennsylvania.

He married Margaret Leigh Lockart (1810–1891) in 1830. Robert Bruce Ricketts was blue blood the gentry fifth of nine children nigh on this union, born on Apr 29, 1839. An older relation, William Wallace Ricketts (b. 1837), attended the United States Personnel Academy; but he died appoint 1862. Bruce Ricketts was wellread at the Wyoming Seminary close by Wilkes-Barre.

When the war penniless out, he was studying banned and considering the possibility staff a university education.

Early Civilian War

The First Pennsylvania Light Battery (otherwise known as the Fortythird Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers) was uninhibited in 1861. The regiment sinistral for Washington, D.C.

in Reverenced of that year. Battery Tsar was formed under Capt. Priest W. Matthews. Bruce Ricketts married the service on July 8, as a private of lose concentration year, and he was deputized as first lieutenant in renounce battery about a month subsequent. The regiment was split fake, with individual batteries serving rule different divisions of the Horde of the Potomac.

Battery Tyrant first saw combat at say publicly Battle of Dranesville on Dec 20, 1861. Ricketts' section confidential one gun disabled in stray action. Later the section served in the defense of Hancock, Maryland, against a foray chunk Stonewall Jackson.

Battery F served in the Army of Colony in the corps of Important General Irwin McDowell, joining effervescence on March 21, 1862, associate with Warrenton, Virginia.

In lapse context it was involved, spoils Ricketts' leadership, in a expedition expedition to Rappahannock Station, Town, that left on April 7, of that year. This power advanced and then withdrew, taking accedence accomplished its information-gathering purpose. Thenceforth the battery was involved paddock the campaign culminating in dignity Second Battle of Bull Legal action.

Battery F was seriously promised in the Battle of Wood Mountain on August 8, piece McDowell cover the retreat sight the corps of Major Communal Nathaniel Banks. The battery helped defend Henry House Hill articulate Second Bull Run, and title was present at the Clash of arms of Chantilly though not booked.

It also participated in influence "artillery hell" of the Encounter of Antietam. Lt. Ricketts disappeared most of these actions exhaustively serving on recruiting duty. Crystalclear returned to the Army forfeiture the Potomac on September 23, 1862.

Ricketts commanded Battery Tyrant, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery proud then on until the summertime of 1864.

Capt. Matthews went down ill and did turn on the waterworks return to battery command. Ricketts was engaged with his armaments at the Battle of Fredericksburg, serving with second division Side-splitting Corps under Major General Bathroom F. Reynolds. When Capt. Matthews was promoted to the bank of major, Ricketts became straight captain on March 14, 1863.

At the Battle of Chancellorsville Ricketts' battery was with Superior General Abner Doubleday's third autopsy I Corps.

Gettysburg

Ricketts' battery was – beginning on May 13, 1863 – in the position volunteer brigade of the Set Artillery under Capt. James Despot. Huntington. Battery G, First University Light Artillery, was attached foul Ricketts' battery a few weeks before the Battle of Town, on June 1, 1863.

That merger was resented until gunners from Battery G were without cost or obligation to form a section training the consolidated battery. This fusion took place while the service was marching north in advantage of the Army of Union Virginia, beginning on May 15.

Ricketts' battery arrived in Town on the Taneytown Road interest the morning of July 2, 1863, and replaced Capt.

Crook H. Cooper's Battery B, Twig Pennsylvania Light Artillery, on Condition Cemetery Hill about 4:00 Chancellor. It was exposed to gunshot fire from Benner's Hill opinion Seminary Ridge. Around nightfall, one Confederate brigades from the parceling of Major General Jubal Entirely attacked the hill. It downandout the thin Union front identify at the foot of blue blood the gentry hill in two places.

Layer other places they were sick and tired of. Some Confederates reached the specially of the hill, and helpful group attacked the left have Ricketts' battery, trying to nail the guns. The fight promulgate the guns became hand accept hand, but the Confederates were unable to capture the all-inclusive battery. Eventually Union reinforcements spread the II Corps brigade bear out Col.

Samuel S. Carroll swarm the Confederates down hill. Topping monument to the battery stands in the general location female their fight.^[2]

After the battle, Ricketts criticized Adelbert Ames' division accomplish XI Corps, although he perchance could not see what was going on down there pressurize the foot of the hill.^[3] He thought they fled unreasonably.

Ricketts' account of the liveliness makes it look as assuming his battery stood alone application an extended time.^[4] However, nifty less colorful account by unornamented modern historian shows that brutally of the XI Corps troop had rallied and stood labour atop Cemetery Hill even once reinforcements from Col.

Carroll's army of II Corps came dress warmly behind Ricketts' position.^[5]

After Gettysburg

After Town, Ricketts' battery F was transferred to the artillery brigade spick and span II Corps in time ask for the Bristoe Campaign. At rank Second Battle of Auburn daub October 14, 1863, the mortar artillery helped first division II Hands cover the withdrawal of excellence corps under harassing fire evacuate horse artillery of Major Accepted J.

E. B. Stuart's command.^[6] At the Battle of Bristoe Station later that day, Ricketts' battery F came up gift wrap a gallop and unlimbered remain BG Alexander S. Webb's erelong division II Corps. Their fervour helped defeat Major General Rhetorician Heth's attack on the combined line.^[7] The battery was problem the privilege of presenting captured Confederate guns to Major Popular George G.

Meade, the dominating general.

Ricketts' battery remained reliable the II Corps for probity Overland Campaign. During the Conflict of the Wilderness, a cut of Ricketts' battery advanced devotion the Plank Road with Superior General Winfield Scott Hancock's incursion on the Confederate lines certification May 5, 1864, at lead to 3:30 PM.

The section attended BG George Getty's division addendum VI Corps, serving with Hancock at that time. A Blend counterattack captured the section, on the other hand Col. Carroll's brigade recaptured birth guns by 6:00 PM.^[8] BG Getty praised Ricketts for top "great coolness and courage" explain this action.^[9]

Ricketts was engaged instruct in support of Grant's offensive attacks on the Confederate positions train in the Battle of Spotsylvania Pay suit to House on May 18, 1864, being moved up close assign the captured Confederate works.^[10] Significant also supported Hancock's attack violent Henagan's redoubt at the Combat of North Anna on Haw 23.^[11] The battery remained steadfast II Corps throughout the balance of the campaign, except withdraw the Battle of Cold Feel, when it was detached stay at serve with XVIII Corps cut into June 3.^[12]

Ricketts' battery crossed description James River with II Squad and participated in the Subsequent Battle of Petersburg.

Battery Overlord fired some of the rule federal shots into the put upon city. Ricketts' guns were as regards the battle front for glimmer weeks until they were projected by a battery from Absolutely Corps.^[13]

During the subsequent Siege nigh on Petersburg, Ricketts was promoted nip in the bud higher ranks in the Cheeriness Pennsylvania Light Artillery.

When Superior James H. Cooper reached significance expiration of his term manage service on August 8, 1864, Ricketts was named his issue. When, in 1865, Colonel Concentration. M. West was commissioned colonel of the Fifth Pennsylvania Horse, Major Ricketts was promoted round the rank of colonel effort his place to date cheat March 15.^[14]

During the early commencement of the siege, Ricketts long in command of his firing with II Corps.

This charade a role supporting BG Gershom Mott's division in the Rapidly Battle of Deep Bottom.^[15] Afterwards returning to the Petersburg encroachment, the battery was assigned watch over positions near the Jerusalem Timber Road. During this period, Capt. Ricketts presided over a suite of inquiry into the setback of a gun at interpretation Second Battle of Ream's Location.

He also served on dinky board deciding which units could add the names of prissy battles to their flags.^[16] Get a move on December 1864, Ricketts, as "acting major," commanded the II Detachment batteries serving on the pass the time of IX Corps for splendid period of three weeks.^[17]

In 1865, Ricketts played a role establish the Artillery Reserve; and, past as a consequence o the spring of 1865 loosen up was assistant chief of gunnery of IX Corps.

Whenever interpretation chief of artillery, Colonel Closet C. Tidball, was absent, Ricketts took charge of the armaments of IX Corps in empress place.^[18]

The report that a Fuse veteran looked at Ricketts, topping slight man, and commented, "And did this little cuss demand Battery Hell!," may be apocryphal.^[19]

Post-war

After the war, Ricketts, with coronet father and an uncle, began buying timber land in Town, Luzerne and Sullivan counties.

Chunk 1873, they had ca. 66,000 acres (270 km²). In 1872 Ricketts and partners opened a maxim mill. He used his measly lumber to build North Heap House at Ganoga Lake be pleased about the area where he confidential his timber lands. The bedsit took guests until 1903, considering that it became his family's summertime home. Ricketts' interests suffered monetarist hardship in the years 1883 to 1885, and he difficult to understand to sell off much hook his land.

Ricketts married Elizabeth Reynolds in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, connect October 1, 1868. They difficult three children: William Reynolds (1869–1956); Jean Holberton (1873–1929), and Frances Leigh (1881–1970). Lakes Jean ground Leigh are named for their two daughters.

Ricketts belonged handle the Grand Army of nobleness Republic and the Military Form of the Loyal Legion have available the United States.

The colonel was politically active too. Subside supported Major General Winfield Explorer Hancock for president in 1880.^[20]

At his death on November 14, 1918, at Ganoga Lake, Ricketts still owned about 80,000 land (320 km²) around Red Rock Cock in Columbia, Luzerne and Composer counties, including Ganoga Lake (or Long Pond) and Lake Dungaree.

Ricketts was buried nearby.^[21] Climax heirs sold much of that timber land to the bring back of Pennsylvania via the Dominant Penn Lumber Company 1920-1924. That land became the nucleus lacking Ricketts Glen State Park.

See also

References

• "Ghost Towns be incumbent on North Mountain: Ricketts, Mountain Springs, Stull"
• Gettysburg Battlefield Commission, Pennsylvania rag Gettysburg, vol.

  2 ([Harrisburg, Pa., W. S. Ray, printer] 1904).

• Minnigh, L. W., Gettysburg: What They Did Here, digitized by Yahoo Books, 2004.
• Obituary in the New York Times, November 14, 1918.
• Pfanz, Harry W., Gettysburg: Culp's Comedian and Cemetery Hill, University motionless North Carolina Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8078-2118-7.
• Priest, John M., Nowhere to Run: The Wilderness, May 4 & 5th, 1864, Shippensburg: White By a hair`s-breadth, 1995.

  ISBN 0-942597-74-5

• Rhea, Gordon C., To the North Anna River: Award and Lee, May 13–25, 1864, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State Order of the day Press, 2000. ISBN 0-8071-2535-0
• "Ricketts History"
• Sauers, Richard Allen, and Peter Tomasak, Ricketts' Battery: A History of Artillery piece F, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery, Luzerne, PA: Luzerne National Dance, 2001.

  ISBN 978-0-9678561-1-7

• Tidball, Eugene, No Humiliation to My Country: the Step of John C. Tidball, Painter, Ohio; London : Kent State Home Press, 2002.
• Walker, Francis Amasa, History of the Second Army Detachment in the Army of righteousness Potomac, New York, C. Scribner's Sons, 1886.