Colonel Rudolphus Ritzema (1739–1803) was an American officer in the

New York Line The New York Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "New York Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to New York at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingen ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, and later changed sides, serving as a lieutenant colonel in a British regiment. He was born to the Reverend Johannes Ritzema and Hiltje Dijkstra in

Kollum Kollum (Low Saxon: ''Kölm'') is a village in Noardeast-Fryslân municipality in the province Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 5529 in January 2017. There is a restored windmill, ''Tochmaland'' in the village. History The ...

, a village in the

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

province of the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

. The family moved to America in 1744. Ritzema attended King's College, which would later become

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, where he was one of the first to graduate, in July 1758. He went from there to study

divinity Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...

in the Netherlands, but was uninterested, and ended up enlisting in the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n army, where he likely saw service in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. After that war he returned to New York, where he studied and practiced law. When the revolution broke out in 1775, he became a member of the

Committee of Sixty The Committee of Sixty or Committee of Observation was a committee of inspection formed in the City and County of New York (Manhattan, New York City), in 1775, by rebels to enforce the Continental Association, a boycott of British goods enacted by ...

and the Committee of One Hundred in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. On June 30, 1775, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the

1st New York Regiment The 1st New York Regiment was authorized on 25 May 1775 and organized at New York City from 28 June to 4 August, for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel Alexander McDougall. The enlistments of the first establishment ...

. In July he seized British armaments in New York City. On November 28, 1775, he was appointed colonel of the

3rd New York Regiment The 3rd New York Regiment was authorized May 25, 1775, and organized from June 28 to August 4 from the counties of Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, and Suffolk under the command of Colonel James Clinton for five months service in Canada. The enlist ...

on the recommendation of General

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish-born American military officer who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and ...

replacing

Alexander McDougall Alexander McDougall (1732 9 June 1786) was a Scottish-born American seaman, merchant, a Sons of Liberty leader from New York City before and during the American Revolution, and a military leader during the Revolutionary War. He served as a maj ...

who had not accompanied his regiment to the field. He took part in the Battle of Quebec and believed one of the reasons for Montgomery's rush into battle was the pending enlistment terminations involving

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

's forces. His regiment was next assigned to the defense of New York, and placed in

Lord Stirling William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling (December 27, 1725 – January 15, 1783), was a Scottish-American major general during the American Revolutionary War. He held a claim to be the male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirl ...

's brigade. According to charges filed by Stirling, Ritzema was lax in maintaining order and discipline in his regiment, which was two hours late for a parade review on July 1, 1776. Stirling placed Ritzema on report, in response to which Ritzema is alleged to have used disrespectful language. While he was subjected to a court martial over the slight, Ritzema was cleared when Stirling chose to overlook the slight. The bad blood appears to have continued, for by November 1776, possibly during or after the

Battle of White Plains The Battle of White Plains took place during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War on October 28, 1776, near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward from N ...

, Ritzema deserted and joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

. In May 1778, as a lieutenant colonel in the British army, he raised a few companies of an organization called the Royal American Reformers. These companies were either demobilized or reassigned in December, and Ritzema was put on half pay. He died in May 1803 in

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Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

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. He had four children.Columbia University Quarterly
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References

* Heitman, Francis B., ''Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution. New, efnlarged, and revised edition.'', Washington, D.C.: Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914 * ''Journal of Colonel Rudolphus Ritzema'' *Bell, Ian C, "Rudolphus Ritzema-A Re-appraisal of the life of a Traitor", http://www.rudolphusritzema.yolasite.com" {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritzema, Rudolphus 1739 births 1803 deaths Continental Army officers from New York (state) British colonial army officers American people of Dutch descent American people of Frisian descent People from Kollumerland American defectors Dutch emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Columbia College (New York) alumni