R. Bruce Ricketts
Encyclopedia
Robert Bruce Ricketts distinguished himself as an artillery officer in the American Civil War
. He is best known for his battery’s defense against a Confederate attack on Cemetery Hill
on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg
.
in Columbia County, Pennsylvania
. He married Margaret Leigh Lockart (1810–1891) in 1830. Robert Bruce Ricketts was the fifth of nine children of this union, and the fifth son, born on April 29, 1839. An older brother, William Wallace Ricketts (b. 1837), attended the United States Military Academy
; but he died in 1862. Bruce Ricketts was educated at the Wyoming Seminary
near Wilkes-Barre
. When the war broke out, he was studying law and considering the possibility of a university education.
. Battery F first saw combat at the Battle of Dranesville
on December 20, 1861. Ricketts’ section had one gun disabled in that action. Later the section served in the defense of Hancock, Maryland
against a foray by Stonewall Jackson
.
Battery F served in the Army of Virginia
in the corps of Major General Irwin McDowell, joining it on March 21, 1862 at Warrenton, Virginia
. In that context it was involved, under Ricketts’ leadership, in a reconnaissance expedition to Rappahannock Station, Virginia, that left on April 7, of that year. This force advanced and then withdrew, having accomplished its information-gathering purpose. Thereafter the battery was involved in the campaign culminating in the Second Battle of Bull Run
. Battery F was seriously engaged in the Battle of Cedar Mountain
on August 8, helping McDowell cover the retreat of the corps of Major General Nathaniel Banks. The battery helped defend Henry House Hill at Second Bull Run, and it was present at the Battle of Chantilly
though not engaged. It also participated in the “artillery hell” of the Battle of Antietam
. Lt Ricketts missed most of these actions while serving on recruiting duty. He returned to the Army of the Potomac on September 23, 1862.
Ricketts commanded Battery F, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery from then on until the summer of 1864. Capt Matthews went down ill and did not return to battery command. Lt Ricketts was engaged with his guns at the Battle of Fredericksburg
, serving with second division I Corps
under Major General John F. Reynolds
. When Capt Matthews was promoted to the rank of major, Ricketts became a captain on March 14, 1863. At the Battle of Chancellorsville
Capt Ricketts’ battery was with Major General Abner Doubleday
’s third division I Corps.
, beginning on May 15.
Ricketts’ battery arrived in Gettysburg
on the Taneytown Road on the morning of July 2, 1863 and replaced Capt James H. Cooper's Battery B, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery, on East Cemetery Hill about 4:00 PM. It was exposed to enfilade fire from Benner’s Hill and Seminary Ridge. Around nightfall, two Confederate brigades from the division of Major General Jubal Early attacked the hill. It broke the thin Union front line at the foot of the hill in two places. In other places they were repelled. Some Confederates reached the top of the hill, and one group attacked the left of Ricketts’ battery, trying to spike the guns. The fight for the guns became hand to hand, but the Confederates were unable to capture the whole battery. Eventually Union reinforcements from the II Corps
brigade of Col Samuel S. Carroll
drove the Confederates down hill. A monument to the battery stands in the general location of their fight.
After the battle, Ricketts criticized Adelbert Ames
' division of XI Corps
, although he probably could not see what was going on down there at the foot of the hill. He thought they fled unnecessarily. Ricketts’ account of the action makes it look as if his battery stood alone for an extended time. However, a less colorful account by a modern historian shows that some of the XI Corps troops had rallied and stood fast atop Cemetery Hill even before reinforcements from Col Samuel S. Carroll
’s brigade of II Corps
came up behind Ricketts’ position.
. At the Second Battle of Auburn on October 14, 1863, the battery helped first division II Corps cover the withdrawal of the corps under harassing fire from horse artillery of Major General J. E. B. Stuart’s command. At the Battle of Bristoe Station
later that day, Ricketts’ battery F came up at a gallop and unlimbered behind BG Alexander S. Webb
’s second division II Corps. Their fire helped defeat Major General Henry Heth
’s attack on the federal line. The battery was given the privilege of presenting captured Confederate guns to Major General George G. Meade, the commanding general.
Ricketts’ battery remained with the II Corps for the Overland Campaign
. During the Battle of the Wilderness
, a section of Ricketts’ battery advanced on the Plank Road with Major General Winfield Scott Hancock
’s attack on the Confederate lines on May 5, 1864 at about 3:30 PM. The section accompanied BG George Getty
’s division of VI Corps
, serving with Hancock at that time. A Confederate counterattack captured the section, but Col Samuel S. Carroll’s brigade recaptured the guns by 6:00 PM. BG Getty praised Ricketts for his "great coolness and courage" in this action.
Ricketts was engaged in support of Grant's offensive attacks on the Confederate positions in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
on May 18, 1864, being moved up close to the captured Confederate works. He also supported Hancock's attack on Henagan's redoubt at the Battle of North Anna
on May 23. The battery remained with II Corps throughout the remainder of the campaign, except at the Battle of Cold Harbor
, when it was detached to serve with XVIII Corps
on June 3,.
Ricketts' battery crossed the James River
with II Corps and participated in the Second Battle of Petersburg. Battery F fired some of the first federal shots into the beleaguered city. Ricketts' guns were on the battle front for two weeks until they were relieved by a battery from V Corps
.
During the subsequent Siege of Petersburg
, Capt Ricketts was promoted to higher ranks in the First Pennsylvania Light Artillery. When Major James H. Cooper reached the expiration of his term of service on August 8, 1864, Ricketts was named his successor. When, in 1865, Colonel R. M. West was commissioned colonel of the Fifth Pennsylvania Cavalry, Major Ricketts was promoted to the rank of colonel in his place to date from March 15.
During the early stages of the siege, Ricketts continued in command of his battery with II Corps. This included a role supporting BG Gershom Mott
's division in the Second Battle of Deep Bottom. After returning to the Petersburg front, the battery was assigned to positions near the Jerusalem Plank Road. During this period, Captain Ricketts presided over a court of inquiry into the loss of a gun at the Second Battle of Ream's Station
. He also served on a board deciding which units could add the names of particular battles to their flags. In December 1864, Cpt Ricketts, as "acting major," commanded the II Corps batteries serving on the lines of IX Corps for a period of three weeks.
In 1865, Ricketts played a role in the Artillery Reserve; and, by the spring of 1865 he was assistant chief of artillery of IX Corps
. Whenever the chief of artillery, Colonel John C. Tidball
, was absent, Ricketts took charge of the guns of IX Corps in his place.
The report that a Confederate veteran looked at Ricketts, a slight man, and commented, "And did this little cuss command Battery Hell!," may be apocryphal.
Col Ricketts married Elizabeth Reynolds in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
on October 1, 1868. They had three children: William Reynolds
(1869–1956); Jean Holberton (1873–1929), and Frances Leigh (1881–1970). Lakes Jean and Leigh are named for their two daughters.
Ricketts belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic
and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
. The colonel was politically active too. He supported Major General Winfield Scott Hancock
for president in 1880.
At his death on November 14, 1918, at Ganoga Lake, Ricketts still owned about 80000 acres (323.7 km²) around Red Rock Mountain, including Ganoga Lake (or Long Pond) and Lake Jean. Columbia, Luzerne & Sullivan Counties. Col Ricketts was buried nearby.http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pasulliv/churches/RickettsC.htm His heirs sold much of this timber land to the state of Pennsylvania via the Central Penn Lumber Company 1920-1924. This land became the nucleus of Ricketts Glen State Park
.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He is best known for his battery’s defense against a Confederate attack on Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform which had 1863 military engagements each day of the July 1–3 Battle of Gettysburg. The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive "fish-hook" line, the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery...
on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
.
Early life
Elijah Ricketts was a merchant and farmer in OrangevilleOrangeville, Pennsylvania
Orangeville is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. The population was 500 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bloomsburg–Berwick Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Orangeville is located at ....
in Columbia County, Pennsylvania
Columbia County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 64,151 people, 24,915 households, and 16,568 families residing in the county. The population density was 132 people per square mile . There were 27,733 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile...
. He married Margaret Leigh Lockart (1810–1891) in 1830. Robert Bruce Ricketts was the fifth of nine children of this union, and the fifth son, born on April 29, 1839. An older brother, William Wallace Ricketts (b. 1837), attended the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
; but he died in 1862. Bruce Ricketts was educated at the Wyoming Seminary
Wyoming Seminary
Wyoming Seminary, founded in 1844 and currently led by President Kip P. Nygren, is a private college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania, in Kingston and Forty Fort It is near the Susquehanna River and the city of Wilkes-Barre...
near Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
. When the war broke out, he was studying law and considering the possibility of a university education.
Early Civil War
The First Pennsylvania Light Artillery (otherwise known as the 43rd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers) was organized in 1861. The regiment left for Washington, D. C. in August of that year. Battery F was formed under Capt Ezra W. Matthews. Bruce Ricketts joined the service on July 8, as a private of that year, and he was commissioned as first lieutenant in that battery about a month later. The regiment was split, up with individual batteries serving with different divisions of the Army of the PotomacArmy of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
. Battery F first saw combat at the Battle of Dranesville
Battle of Dranesville
The Battle of Dranesville was a small battle during the American Civil War that took place between Confederate forces under General J.E.B. Stuart and Union forces under General Edward O.C. Ord on December 20, 1861, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as part of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's operations...
on December 20, 1861. Ricketts’ section had one gun disabled in that action. Later the section served in the defense of Hancock, Maryland
Hancock, Maryland
Hancock is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,725 at the 2000 census. The Western Maryland community is notable for being located at the narrowest part of the state...
against a foray by Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
.
Battery F served in the Army of Virginia
Army of Virginia
The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E...
in the corps of Major General Irwin McDowell, joining it on March 21, 1862 at Warrenton, Virginia
Warrenton, Virginia
Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census, and 14,634 at the 2010 estimate. It is the county seat of Fauquier County. Public schools in the town include Fauquier High School, Warrenton Middle School, Taylor Middle School and two...
. In that context it was involved, under Ricketts’ leadership, in a reconnaissance expedition to Rappahannock Station, Virginia, that left on April 7, of that year. This force advanced and then withdrew, having accomplished its information-gathering purpose. Thereafter the battery was involved in the campaign culminating in the Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Maj. Gen...
. Battery F was seriously engaged in the Battle of Cedar Mountain
Battle of Cedar Mountain
The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks attacked Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Thomas J...
on August 8, helping McDowell cover the retreat of the corps of Major General Nathaniel Banks. The battery helped defend Henry House Hill at Second Bull Run, and it was present at the Battle of Chantilly
Battle of Chantilly
The Battle of Chantilly took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Thomas J...
though not engaged. It also participated in the “artillery hell” of the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
. Lt Ricketts missed most of these actions while serving on recruiting duty. He returned to the Army of the Potomac on September 23, 1862.
Ricketts commanded Battery F, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery from then on until the summer of 1864. Capt Matthews went down ill and did not return to battery command. Lt Ricketts was engaged with his guns at the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
, serving with second division I Corps
I Corps (ACW)
I Corps was the designation of three different corps-sized units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The units served in the following armies:...
under Major General John F. Reynolds
John F. Reynolds
John Fulton Reynolds was a career United States Army officer and a general in the American Civil War. One of the Union Army's most respected senior commanders, he played a key role in committing the Army of the Potomac to the Battle of Gettysburg and was killed at the start of the battle.-Early...
. When Capt Matthews was promoted to the rank of major, Ricketts became a captain on March 14, 1863. At the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
Capt Ricketts’ battery was with Major General Abner Doubleday
Abner Doubleday
Abner Doubleday was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg. Gettysburg was his finest hour, but his...
’s third division I Corps.
Gettysburg
Ricketts’ battery was - beginning on May 13, 1863 - in the third volunteer brigade of the Reserve Artillery under Captain James F. Huntington. Battery G, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery, was attached to Ricketts’ battery a few weeks before the Battle of Gettysburg, on June 1, 1863. This merger was resented until gunners from Battery G were permitted to form a section of the consolidated battery. This merger took place while the army was marching north in pursuit of the Army of Northern VirginiaArmy of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
, beginning on May 15.
Ricketts’ battery arrived in Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
on the Taneytown Road on the morning of July 2, 1863 and replaced Capt James H. Cooper's Battery B, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery, on East Cemetery Hill about 4:00 PM. It was exposed to enfilade fire from Benner’s Hill and Seminary Ridge. Around nightfall, two Confederate brigades from the division of Major General Jubal Early attacked the hill. It broke the thin Union front line at the foot of the hill in two places. In other places they were repelled. Some Confederates reached the top of the hill, and one group attacked the left of Ricketts’ battery, trying to spike the guns. The fight for the guns became hand to hand, but the Confederates were unable to capture the whole battery. Eventually Union reinforcements from the II Corps
II Corps (ACW)
There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L. Crittenden , later renumbered XX Corps...
brigade of Col Samuel S. Carroll
Samuel S. Carroll
Samuel Spriggs "Red" Carroll was a career officer in the United States Army who rose to the rank of brigadier general during the American Civil War...
drove the Confederates down hill. A monument to the battery stands in the general location of their fight.
After the battle, Ricketts criticized Adelbert Ames
Adelbert Ames
Adelbert Ames was an American sailor, soldier, and politician. He served with distinction as a Union Army general during the American Civil War. As a Radical Republican and a Carpetbagger, he was military governor, Senator and civilian governor in Reconstruction-era Mississippi...
' division of XI Corps
XI Corps (ACW)
The XI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, best remembered for its involvement in the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg in 1863.-Formation and the Valley Campaign:...
, although he probably could not see what was going on down there at the foot of the hill. He thought they fled unnecessarily. Ricketts’ account of the action makes it look as if his battery stood alone for an extended time. However, a less colorful account by a modern historian shows that some of the XI Corps troops had rallied and stood fast atop Cemetery Hill even before reinforcements from Col Samuel S. Carroll
Samuel S. Carroll
Samuel Spriggs "Red" Carroll was a career officer in the United States Army who rose to the rank of brigadier general during the American Civil War...
’s brigade of II Corps
II Corps (ACW)
There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L. Crittenden , later renumbered XX Corps...
came up behind Ricketts’ position.
After Gettysburg
After Gettysburg, Ricketts’ battery F was transferred to the artillery brigade of II Corps in time for the Bristoe CampaignBristoe Campaign
The Bristoe Campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began to maneuver in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern...
. At the Second Battle of Auburn on October 14, 1863, the battery helped first division II Corps cover the withdrawal of the corps under harassing fire from horse artillery of Major General J. E. B. Stuart’s command. At the Battle of Bristoe Station
Battle of Bristoe Station
The Battle of Bristoe Station was fought on October 14, 1863, at Bristoe Station, Virginia, between Union forces under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren and Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill during the Bristoe Campaign of the American Civil War...
later that day, Ricketts’ battery F came up at a gallop and unlimbered behind BG Alexander S. Webb
Alexander S. Webb
Alexander Stewart Webb was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Battle of Gettysburg...
’s second division II Corps. Their fire helped defeat Major General Henry Heth
Henry Heth
Henry "Harry" Heth was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He is best remembered for inadvertently precipitating the Battle of Gettysburg, when he sent some of his troops of the Army of Northern Virginia to the small Pennsylvania village,...
’s attack on the federal line. The battery was given the privilege of presenting captured Confederate guns to Major General George G. Meade, the commanding general.
Ricketts’ battery remained with the II Corps for the Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
. During the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
, a section of Ricketts’ battery advanced on the Plank Road with Major General Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
’s attack on the Confederate lines on May 5, 1864 at about 3:30 PM. The section accompanied BG George Getty
George Getty
George Franklin Getty was an American lawyer, father of industrialist J. Paul Getty and patriarch of the Getty family.-George Franklin Getty:...
’s division of VI Corps
VI Corps (ACW)
The VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Formation:The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smith's...
, serving with Hancock at that time. A Confederate counterattack captured the section, but Col Samuel S. Carroll’s brigade recaptured the guns by 6:00 PM. BG Getty praised Ricketts for his "great coolness and courage" in this action.
Ricketts was engaged in support of Grant's offensive attacks on the Confederate positions in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
on May 18, 1864, being moved up close to the captured Confederate works. He also supported Hancock's attack on Henagan's redoubt at the Battle of North Anna
Battle of North Anna
The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North Anna River in central Virginia, rather than a...
on May 23. The battery remained with II Corps throughout the remainder of the campaign, except at the Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
, when it was detached to serve with XVIII Corps
XVIII Corps (ACW)
XVIII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.- Origins and makeup :The XVIII Corps was created on December 24, 1862, and initially composed of five divisions stationed in North Carolina, making it one of the largest in the Union Army , placed under the command of General...
on June 3,.
Ricketts' battery crossed the James River
James River
The James River may refer to:Rivers in the United States and their namesakes* James River * James River , North Dakota, South Dakota* James River * James River * James River...
with II Corps and participated in the Second Battle of Petersburg. Battery F fired some of the first federal shots into the beleaguered city. Ricketts' guns were on the battle front for two weeks until they were relieved by a battery from V Corps
V Corps (ACW)
The V Corps was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.-1862:The corps was first organized briefly under Nathaniel P. Banks, but then permanently on May 18, 1862, designated as the "V Corps Provisional"...
.
During the subsequent Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
, Capt Ricketts was promoted to higher ranks in the First Pennsylvania Light Artillery. When Major James H. Cooper reached the expiration of his term of service on August 8, 1864, Ricketts was named his successor. When, in 1865, Colonel R. M. West was commissioned colonel of the Fifth Pennsylvania Cavalry, Major Ricketts was promoted to the rank of colonel in his place to date from March 15.
During the early stages of the siege, Ricketts continued in command of his battery with II Corps. This included a role supporting BG Gershom Mott
Gershom Mott
Gershom Mott was a United States Army officer and a General in the Union Army, a commander in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-Early life:...
's division in the Second Battle of Deep Bottom. After returning to the Petersburg front, the battery was assigned to positions near the Jerusalem Plank Road. During this period, Captain Ricketts presided over a court of inquiry into the loss of a gun at the Second Battle of Ream's Station
Second Battle of Ream's Station
The Second Battle of Ream's Station was fought during the Siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War on August 25, 1864, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. A Union force under Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock began destroying part of the Weldon Railroad, which was a vital supply line for Gen. Robert...
. He also served on a board deciding which units could add the names of particular battles to their flags. In December 1864, Cpt Ricketts, as "acting major," commanded the II Corps batteries serving on the lines of IX Corps for a period of three weeks.
In 1865, Ricketts played a role in the Artillery Reserve; and, by the spring of 1865 he was assistant chief of artillery of IX Corps
IX Corps (ACW)
IX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters: the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.-Formation, Second Bull Run, and Antietam:...
. Whenever the chief of artillery, Colonel John C. Tidball
John C. Tidball
John Caldwell Tidball was a career military officer, noted for his service in the horse artillery in the cavalry in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, was absent, Ricketts took charge of the guns of IX Corps in his place.
The report that a Confederate veteran looked at Ricketts, a slight man, and commented, "And did this little cuss command Battery Hell!," may be apocryphal.
Post-war
After the war, Colonel Ricketts, with his father and an uncle, began buying timber land in Columbia, Luzerne and Sullivan counties. By 1873, they had ca. 66000 acres (267.1 km²). In 1872 Ricketts and partners opened a saw mill. He used his own lumber to build North Mountain House at Ganoga Lake in the area where he had his timber lands. The house took guests until 1903, when it became his family’s summer home. Ricketts’ interests suffered financial hardship in the years 1883 to 1885, and he had to sell off much of his land.Col Ricketts married Elizabeth Reynolds in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
on October 1, 1868. They had three children: William Reynolds
William Reynolds Ricketts
William Reynolds Ricketts , of Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, was a philatelist who created the largest index of philatelic literature available during his lifetime. He was considered as the “greatest philatelic indexer of all time.” Ricketts was the son of R...
(1869–1956); Jean Holberton (1873–1929), and Frances Leigh (1881–1970). Lakes Jean and Leigh are named for their two daughters.
Ricketts belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, also known by its acronym MOLLUS or simply as the Loyal Legion, is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by officers of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States who "had aided in maintaining the honor,...
. The colonel was politically active too. He supported Major General Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
for president in 1880.
At his death on November 14, 1918, at Ganoga Lake, Ricketts still owned about 80000 acres (323.7 km²) around Red Rock Mountain, including Ganoga Lake (or Long Pond) and Lake Jean. Columbia, Luzerne & Sullivan Counties. Col Ricketts was buried nearby.http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pasulliv/churches/RickettsC.htm His heirs sold much of this timber land to the state of Pennsylvania via the Central Penn Lumber Company 1920-1924. This land became the nucleus of Ricketts Glen State Park
Ricketts Glen State Park
Ricketts Glen State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Columbia, Luzerne, and Sullivan counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. Ricketts Glen is a National Natural Landmark known for its old-growth forest and 24 named waterfalls along Kitchen Creek, which flows down the Allegheny...
.