Benjamin Stoddert Ewell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 16th President of the College of William & Mary | |
| In office 1854–1888 | |
| Preceded by | John Johns |
| Succeeded by | Lyon Gardiner Tyler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 10, 1810 Washington, D.C., US |
| Died | June 19, 1894 (aged 84) Williamsburg, Virginia, US |
| Resting place | College of William and Mary Cemetery, Williamsburg |
| Relations | Richard S. Ewell (brother) |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America Confederate States of America |
| Branch/service | United States Army Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1832–36 (USA) 1861–65 (CSA) |
| Rank |  2nd Lieutenant (USA) Colonel (CSA) |
| Commands | 32nd Virginia Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Benjamin Stoddert Ewell (June 10, 1810 – June 19, 1894) was a United States and Confederate army officer, civil engineer, and educator from James City County, Virginia. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1832 and served as an officer and educator.
Although he personally did not favor secession of Virginia from the Union, at the outset of the American Civil War (1861–1865), he helped form local militia in the Peninsula region of Hampton Roads. His work designing and constructing the Williamsburg Line of defensive works of the city and Fort Magruder at its center was a factor in delaying Federal troops attempting to chase retreating Confederates during the Peninsula Campaign, a failed attempt to capture the capital city of Richmond in 1862. His younger brother was Confederate General Richard S. Ewell, a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.
Benjamin Ewell is best remembered for his long tenure as the sixteenth president of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg before, during and after the American Civil War. Benjamin Ewell's tireless efforts to restore the historic school and its programs during and after Reconstruction became legendary in Williamsburg and at the college and were ultimately successful, with funding from both the U.S. Congress and the Commonwealth of Virginia.