Class of 1839

"In April, 1861, he was ordered to Washington, and his battery formed part of McDowell's army at the Battle of Bull Run, in which he was dangerously wounded, being hit in the forehead, shoulder, chest, and leg, and taken prisoner. In the early stage of the war, with raw troops, and inexperienced officers on both sides, the fate of prisoners was often a hard one. Captain Ricketts suffered greatly, and was designated as one of the hostages for the safety of certain Confederate prisoners held by the Federal Government on a charge of piracy. It is hardly necessary to say that when this fact was brought to the notice of the higher Confederate authorities by his wife, all wounded officers were exempted. By the care and devoted attention of Mrs. Ricketts, who hastened to him at Manassas as soon as she heard of his wounds, his life and those of others were saved, while sharing their imprisonment. That special request of General Scott, he was, after months of suffering, exchanged for Colonel De Lagnel, and brevetted Lieutenant-Colonel, thus passing over the grade of Major; and was also appointed Brigadier-General of Volunteers, as his commission specifically states, 'for gallant and meritorious conduct in the Battle of Bull Run, Virginia,' to rank from the date of the battle. These were unusual and marked honors.

"When sufficiently recovered from his wounds to do duty in the field, he joined, in May, 1862, McDowell's Corps, and was soon assigned to the command of its Second Division, being engaged in the Battles of Cedar Mountain, Aug. 9; Rappahannock Station, Aug. 22‑24, 1862. This Corps, whilst under orders at Fredericksburg to join the Army of the Potomac near Richmond, was suddenly diverted, notwithstanding the urgent remonstrances of General McDowell, to the Shenandoah Valley to intercept Stonewall Jackson's withdrawal, after he had driven Banks's Corps out of the valley. This attempt failed, and McDowell was ordered for the third time to join McClellan, but was again delayed until Jackson had joined Lee, and the 'seven days' battle commenced. On that day McDowell's, Banks's, and Fremont's Corps were united to constitute the 'Army of Virginia' under General Pope. Fremont thereupon resigned, and Sigel succeeded to the command of his Corps. Of McDowell's two divisions, King's was then at Fredericksburg, where it was left for the time; and Ricketts's was at Manassas Junction. Banks's and Sigel's Corps were in the Shenandoah Valley. Pope immediately drew his troops together, east of the mountains and north of Culpeper. Aug. 7, they were moved forward towards the Rapidan. On the 9th, Banks prematurely engaged Jackson's superior force at Cedar Mountain, and Ricketts, who was then at Culpeper, was ordered to his support. He arrived too late for the main battle, but in time to cover Banks's retreat, and check Jackson's pursuit. On the 11th the latter retired behind the Rapidan, and was followed at once by Pope. Lee, set free by the withdrawal of McClellan from the Peninsula, hastened to Jackson's aid with his whole army. His arrangements to surprise the inferior Federal force, which was now in a perilous position, and cut it off, were disconcerted by Pope's skillful withdrawal behind the line of the Rappahannock, which, under his instructions from Washington, he was required to hold until reinforced by the Army of the Potomac via Acquia and Fredericksburg. Lee, however,  p4 by simply moving up the river, forced such an extension of this line that it became untenable, and General Pope ordered, on the evening of the 26th, the occupation of a new one from Warrenton east to Gainesville. Soon after, learning that Jackson had, unperceived, turned his right, passed through Thoroughfare Gap, and was now at Bristoe Station in his rear, he ordered a concentration towards Gainesville, and then on Manassas Junction. McDowell, having now learned from Buford, whom he had sent on a reconnoitring expedition, that Longstreet, with the remainder of Lee's army, was following Jackson's route, ordered Ricketts, who was, on the morning of the 28th, approaching Gainesville, to proceed to Thoroughfare Gap and bar his passage. Ricketts's progress was at first much impeded by wagon trains; but dropping his knapsacks at Haymarket, he hurried forward, to find Longstreet already within the Gap, and holding strong positions on both sides of it. Ricketts tried to force an entrance, but failed after severe losses, and therefore took position to command the outlet. He thereby detained Longstreet until night, and delayed by one day the junction of the two wings of Lee's army. Finding that D. R. Jones's Confederate division had got through the pass, that Wilcox's three brigades were coming through Hopewell Gap on his right, and two infantry brigades under Hood were crossing the mountains on his left, he knew that his own position was no longer tenable, and at 10.30 P.M. drew off on the Gainesville road. Reaching Gainesville, he found that King's division had had that evening, 28th of August, between that place and Groveton, a severe fight, which proved that Jackson's Corps was present, and that early next morning the two wings of the Confederate army would be united.

"King withdrew in the night to Manassas, where Ricketts joined the Corps and was engaged in the battles that followed — Manassas, Aug. 29‑30, and Chantilly, Sep. 1, 1862, whence they soon advanced into Maryland to meet Lee's invasion.

"At Antietam, Ricketts, in command of his division, 3,158 strong, was again distinguished. The First Corps was now under General Hooker. In its bloody attack, in the early morning of September 17, on Jackson's Corps, both sides suffered terribly, and Ricketts lost a third of his division, — 1,051 killed and wounded. One of his classmates, General Lawton, was severely wounded in this conflict. 'Honors were easy.' Jackson's force fell back, their place being taken by Hood's; and Mansfield's Corps — the Twelfth — performed the same good office for Hooker's. Some of both Jackson's and Hooker's men, however, joined the fresh combatants; and when Sumner advanced over the same ground after Mansfield's fight — who was killed — he found General Ricketts and some three hundred of Hooker's men still there. Ricketts had two horses shot under him, and was badly injured by one of them falling on him, but remained with his troops, until in October his injuries compelled him to leave the field temporarily, and while still suffering from wounds.

"In December General Ricketts was appointed a Member of the Court for the trial of General Fitz-John Porter for alleged misconduct in General Pope's campaign, on charges prosecuted by the War Department. Public feeling in and out of the Army ran high. The court was small; two of the members had been engaged in the same campaign, and this led to grave imputations. The oath taken by courts martial enjoins secrecy, both as to votes and opinions. This oath, intended as a protection for the weak, may also serve as a cover for the base; and all members must submit in silence to consequent suspicion, however unjust. It was remarked, however, as significant that, although the merits and services of General Ricketts were always fully appreciated by the War Department, yet he was not one of the members promoted after the verdict was rendered,  p5 nor one of brigadiers who at the close of the war were made major-generals before being mustered out of the volunteer service.

"He was unable to return to the field until March, 1864, when he took command of the Third Division of Sedgwick's (Sixth) Corps in the Petersburg Campaign, being present at the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania (in which Sedgwick was killed, and succeeded in command of corps by General Wright), and North Anna. At Cold Harbor, in the assault of June 1st by Wright's and W. F. Smith's Corps, Ricketts's Division struck those of Hoke and Kershaw, handsomely carried the intrenchments, in which work he was joined by Upton's Brigade, and captured five hundred prisoners. His losses in killed and wounded were severe, and he received the written congratulations of the commanding general. On the 3d his division took part in the general assault at Cold Harbor, was engaged in various actions there until June 13, and in the assaults on the lines of Petersburg, June 15‑18. Grant's two armies of the Potomac and the James were now brought to a stand in front of Petersburg and Richmond, and operations by regular approaches against the former place were ordered. On June 13th General Lee had detached Ewell's Corps, under General Early, from Cold Harbor, to meet General Hunter's advance toward Lynchburg. On his approach, Hunter withdrew, and Early, with a force of some 12,000 men, crossed over into Maryland, and threatened Baltimore and Washington. To check this movement, Ricketts's Division, 3,350 strong, was ordered, July 6th, to Harper's Ferry via Baltimore, and reached the Monocacy by rail in time to take part in the battle of the 9th, under General Lew Wallace, who had a mixed force of 2,500 men, many of them new and undisciplined troops. The brunt of the affair fell on Ricketts's veteran division, which, as Wallace reported, 'fought magnificently.' Ricketts himself was conspicuous for his gallantry, and was again wounded. Early's force was greatly superior in numbers, and he reports that his loss in killed and wounded was 'about 700.' Wallace's loss was 677, of which Ricketts's share was 595. The field was lost, but Early was delayed a sufficient time to secure the safety of Washington. The scant miscellaneous forces in that city were manning the works on the northern approaches when Early arrived on the afternoon of the 11th, in advance of his troops. Having fought a division of the Sixth Corps at Monocacy, he had grounds for believing that the other two were before him, yet, after a reconnoissance, he determined to attack next morning. This delay, which seems to have been warranted by the circumstances, enabled Wright, who had been hastily summoned and had just arrived from City Point, to land his two divisions, occupy the works, and repulse Early's attack. Ricketts's Division, after the Battle of Monocacy, had fallen back on Baltimore, and rejoined the corps whilst in pursuit of Early, Wright taking the general direction, and Ricketts commanding the Sixth Corps until it was formally united to the Eighth (Crook's), and the Nineteenth (Emory's), and a Cavalry Corps to form the Army of the Shenandoah under General Sheridan, when Ricketts returned to his division, at the head of which he took an important part in the Valley Campaign, being engaged in skirmishes at Snicker's Gap, July 18th; Berryville, August 21st; Smithfield, August 29th; and especially in the battles of Opequan and Fisher's Hill.

"At the decisive Battle of Cedar Creek, Oct. 19, General Wright was in command of the Army during the temporary absence of General Sheridan, and that of the Corps again devolved upon Ricketts. On Oct. 18, the Eighth and Nineteenth Corps were in line, intrenched behind Cedar Creek, a little north of Strasburg, the Eighth Corps being on the left; and Early's army again occupied Fisher's Hill and its vicinity south of the town. The Sixth Corps was to the right rear of the Nineteenth, in reserve, with the Cavalry Corps well on its right. By  p6 early dawn of the 19th of October the Confederate divisions of Ramseur, Gordon, and Pegram, favored by peculiarities of the ground, crossed the Shenandoah below the mouth of Cedar Creek, and unperceived gained a position on the left flank and rear of the Eighth Corps; while Kershaw's and Wharton's took position in front of both corps, outflanking the Nineteenth. Under cover of a dense fog, all attacked vigorously. Taken by surprise, and overwhelmed by numbers, the Eighth Corps was partly routed and its own guns turned upon it. Although a brigade of the Nineteenth was then under arms for an early reconnoissance, that corps became involved in the retreat, and fell back under the orders of General Wright, making a stand when practicable. At the first sounds of the attack, Wright sent for two divisions of the Sixth Corps. Ricketts soon brought them up and arrested the enemy's progress. A new line was formed in the rear of these divisions, the Sixth Corps on the left, the Nineteenth on the right. Sheridan soon after arrived, the line was completed by the Cavalry Corps and the rallied troops of the Eighth advanced, and a crowning victory was won.

"But in rendering this vitally important service Ricketts received his sixth​a and most severe wound — a bullet penetrated the right breast, injured the lung, and lodged under the right shoulder. It disabled him, and Getty took command of the corps. His right arm remained partially paralyzed, and it was not until Apr. 7, 1865, that he resumed command of his division and participated in the pursuit of the rebel army, terminating in the capitulation of General Lee at Appomattox.

"He accompanied the corps to Danville, Va., whilst the main body of the Army was on its way to Washington. He was now placed in command of a district in Virginia, which he held until Apr. 30, 1866, when he was mustered out of the volunteer service as a Brigadier-General. In January, 1867, he was retired with the rank of Major-General, for wounds received whilst in command of an army corps.

"The army brevets conferred on General Ricketts were 'Lieutenant-Colonel, for gallant and meritorious services at the battle of Bull Run, Va.'; 'Colonel, for Gallant and Meritorious Services at the Battle of Cold Harbor, Va.'; 'Brigadier-General, for Gallant and Meritorious Services at the Battle of Cedar Creek, Va.;' 'Major-General, for Gallant and Meritorious Services in the field during the Rebellion.' He was also brevetted 'Major-General of Volunteers, for gallant conduct during the Rebellion, and particularly in the battles of the campaign under General Grant; the Monocacy, under General Wallace; and Opequan, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek, in the Shenandoah Campaign under General Sheridan.'

"General Ricketts was a favorite in his class at West Point, quiet, modest, diligent in his studies, and faithful to all his obligations. He carried these traits with him into the Army and social life, and his success­ful career was due, not to any extraordinary circumstances or opportunities, but to a thorough discharge of all duties as they presented themselves.

"After his retirement General Ricketts resided in Washington until his death. His constitution was shattered by his wounds, and his life was one of constant suffering, which he bore with patient fortitude. Yet he was active in every good work, and his loss is felt by the poor and needy, especially by his old soldiers, who always found in him a friend on whom they could rely."