Benjamin Piatt Runkle (September 3, 1836 – June 28, 1916) was an American military officer, Episcopal priest, and Freemason, who is noted as being one of the seven founders of Sigma Chi fraternity. Prior to joining the clergy, he served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He served as Chief Superintendent of Freedmen's Affairs in Kentucky, and was plaintiff in the Supreme Court case Runkle v. United States. Runkle also twice served as trustee of Miami University.
Early life
Runkle was born in West Liberty, Ohio, to Ralph Edwin Runkle and Hannah Isabella Piatt. He attended Geneva College and, later, Miami University, from which he graduated in July 1857. While attending Miami University, Runkle became a Freemason as well as one of the seven original founders of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Runkle married Venitia Reynolds on June 4, 1857, and their daughter, Maud Elizabeth Runkle, was born January 15, 1859, in Findlay, Ohio. After college, he studied law under General Samson Mason in Springfield and was admitted to the bar in July, 1859. He was the 1860 Democratic candidate for the Ohio State Senate. Runkle volunteered for an Ohio militia company and, when the Civil War began, it became a part of the 13th Ohio Infantry.
Civil War
13th Ohio Infantry
Runkle was commissioned as a captain in the 13th Ohio Infantry on April 22, 1861, and served as such until November 8, 1861, when he was promoted to the rank of major after the Battle of Carnifex Ferry. In April 1862 the 13th Ohio, then in Virginia, made a forced march to join General Don Carlos Buell's forces in Kentucky, then continued on with Buell's forces to the Battle of Shiloh. Upon arrival, the regiment led an attack that captured the Washington Artillery Battery of New Orleans. He was shot through the feet during a Confederate counter-attack, but continued until wounded again with a shot through the right jaw. He was thought to be mortally wounded, and Whitelaw Reid, then a correspondent for the Cincinnati Gazette, had seen Runkle's wounds and filed a glowing obituary saying in part "He died a hero. Green grow the grass above his grave." Runkle not only survived but outlived Reid, and in turn praised him in an obituary. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in May 1862.
45th Ohio Infantry
After recovering from his wounds, on August 19, 1862, he was commissioned Colonel of the 45th Ohio Infantry. The regiment was ordered to Cynthiana, Kentucky, where it remained until General Kirby Smith's advance following the Confederate victory at the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky on August 30, 1862, forced the 45th Ohio, along with the 99th Ohio Infantry, to pull back to the Ohio River at Covington, Kentucky, where they participated in the Defense of Cincinnati. In mid–February the regiment was mounted at Danville, Kentucky, and Colonel Runkle commanded the brigade formed by the mounted 45th Ohio along with the 7th Ohio Cavalry and 10th Kentucky Cavalry regiments. Runkle's men broke the enemy line at the Battle of Dutton's Hill in Somerset, Kentucky on March 30, 1863, and he was thanked for his gallantry on the field by Quincy Gillmore, the commanding general, who gave Colonel Runkle's command entire credit for the victory. Fought in the Battle at Monticello, Kentucky on May 1, 1863, where Confederate forces under General Pegram were driven from the field.
Other commands
From July 1863 to January 1864, while recovering from wounds, he served on the staff of Ohio governor David Tod and led Ohio Militia units in response to Morgan's Raid. He later commanded the 3rd Brigade of the 4th Division of the XXIII Corps in Kentucky and Tennessee and participated in Sherman's Atlanta Campaign at the battles of Rocky Face Ridge and Resaca. Runkle was honorably mustered out July 21, 1864, and on August 29, 1864, he was appointed lieutenant colonel in the Veteran Reserve Corps where he commanded the 21st Regiment until the war ended.
Freedmen's Bureau
While in the Veteran Reserve Corps, Runkle was assigned to work at the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (Freedmen's Bureau) where he served as Chief Superintendent of the Freedmen's Bureau for Memphis, Tennessee.
On January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Runkle for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from November 9, 1865, and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866.