Samuel Ovenshine was a United States Army officer who served as a brigadier general during the Philippine-American War. Ovenshine was born on April 2, 1843 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was studying to become a lawyer when he was interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War. On September 25, 1861 he was appointed first lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Infantry Regiment. He served in Kansas and New Mexico and ended the war as a captain.