William and Mary University in Williamsburg, Virginia - 2nd oldest College in America - Burned, looted by Union, saved by President/Confederate Colonel Benjamin S Ewell

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Confederate Colonel Benjamin S Ewell gravesite at William and Mary University in Williamsburg, Virginia (2nd oldest College in America)! Col Benjamin Ewell was the brother of famous Confederate General Richard S Ewell. Col Benjamin Ewell is as important to William and Mary College as General Robert E Lee is to Lee-Washington University. Both gave their all to revive the Universities from closure following the looting and destruction of the campuses by the invading northern Union soldiers.
The College of William & Mary’s Wren (main) building was burned by Union soldiers on September 9, 1862, during the War. After the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5, 1862, Union forces occupied the town, and the college was closed, its buildings used as barracks and a hospital. Soldiers from the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry set fire to the Wren (Main) Building causing significant damage and destroying much of the interior and library. This was the third time the Wren Building had burned, following fires in 1705 and 1859. Col CSA Benjamin Stoddert Ewell, the college president, documented the destruction in a report to the Board of Visitors on July 5, 1865, noting the extensive damage to the college’s infrastructure. Despite the devastation, Ewell worked tirelessly to rebuild, securing funds to restore the college post-war.
Benjamin Stoddert Ewell, Col CSA 32nd Reg (1810–1894) served as president of the College of William & Mary during two periods for over 30 years! First, as acting president from 1848 to 1849 and as permanent president from 1854 to 1888. His tenure was marked by significant challenges, including financial difficulties and the disruptions of the War. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (1832), Ewell was a civil engineer and educator who initially taught mathematics at the college starting in 1848. Despite his personal opposition to Virginia’s secession, he served as a Confederate colonel during the Civil War, designing the Williamsburg Line of fortifications.
After the war Ewell played a critical role in reviving the college, using his own funds to reopen it in 1869, though it closed again from 1881 to 1888 due to financial issues. Ewell’s dedication is legendary; during the closure, he reportedly rang the college bell daily to symbolize the institution’s enduring mission. In 1888, he secured state funding to reopen the college as a teacher-training institution. He remained president emeritus until his death in 1894 and is buried in the College of William & Mary Cemetery. Ewell Hall and an award at the college are named in his honor.
The College of William & Mary, founded in 1693 by a royal charter from King William III and Queen Mary II, is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, only behind Harvard University. William & Mary was the first college to receive a royal charter and the first to establish a law school (1779).
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NEVER FORGET!!!! Unfortunately, William and Mary College also jumped on the Maoist, cancel-culture wagon and selfishly removed a War Memorial plaque from the Wren Building which had listed 68 students and faculty who fought for the Confederacy during the War! The plaque, installed in 1914, was relocated to the Special Collections division of Swem Library to be preserved as a historical artifact. Additionally, Confederate emblems on the College Mace, a ceremonial object from 1923, were removed and replaced with other symbols.
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Benjamin Stoddert Ewell find-a-grave:
Inscription: President of William and Mary College, 1854-1888, Colonel Thirty-Second Regiment Virginia Volunteers C.S.A. The reopening of the college in 1865 was due to his courage and fidelity. By ringing the bell during the silent years from 1881-1888, when the college was closed, he preserved its charter. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8266941/benjamin_stoddert-ewell

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President/CSA Colonel Benjamin Stoddert Ewell's grave on William and Mary College Campus, Williamsburg, Virginia...

Wren Building on William and Mary College Campus. The Oldest College building in America...



Displays inside Wren building...


Removed...


Misc...

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