THREE SOLDIERS OF VALOR
Bart Benjamin
© 1992, © 2002 by Bart Benjamin. All rights reserved.
Text and images may not be reproduced without permission from the author.
FORWARD
From
1861 to 1865, The United States of America was shaken by a war that
shaped
its national character like no other event in its history -- the
American
Civil War. My book Three Soldiers of Valor describes the
western
theater of the Civil War as seen through the eyes of three of my
ancestors
who were soldiers in the Union Army -- specifically the 76th Ohio, 77th
Illinois, and 8th Illinois Volunteer Infantry regiments. Collectively,
their experiences cover many of the decisive western battles of that
great
war, including Fort Donelson, Shiloh, the Vicksburg campaign, the Red
River
campaign and the capture of Mobile.
Since there are no surviving personal letters or diaries written by any
of my ancestors, I relied on information available from the National
Archives,
the Illinois State Archives, the Ohio Historical Society, the Vicksburg
National Military Park, and the Arkansas Post National Memorial.
The regimental history of Samuel Kirkman's 77th Illinois Volunteer
Infantry
is largely excerpted from History of the 77th Illinois Volunteer
Infantry
by
Lieutenant William Bentley, supported by
numerous
diary and journal entries from Daniel B. Allen and William Wiley,
all three of which were soldiers from different companies of the same
regiment.
Numerous other books provided me with basic information about battles
and
troop movements.
I would like to give special thanks to my uncle Roland Benjamin and
aunt
Maxine (Cadwell) Benjamin, whose tireless efforts at genealogical
research
over the past many years have provided our family with a greater
appreciation
of its place in history. In a sense, Three Soldiers of Valor is
an extension of their original research paper, A Genealogy of the
Benjamin
Family of Peoria County, Illinois.
In the spring of 1992, I completed the printed version of Three
Soldiers
of Valor. I printed a small of number of copies and
distributed
most of these to family members and interested friends. With the advent
of the Internet, I decided to make my book widely available through an
online version, which I completed and posted in January of 2000.
Because
genealogical and historical research is an ongoing process, I plan to
revise
this online publication whenever any new and significant information
comes
to light.
I completed my first major revision of Three
Soldiers of Valor in February of
2002.
All changes to the original printed
version
are rendered in blue. None of these revisions would have been
possible
without the valuable assistance of a number of individuals and
organizations, who are given credit in my Acknowledgement
Page. Although I can never
hope to attain a perfect understanding of the events of over 135 years
ago, the proverbial puzzle will undoubtedly become easier to solve as I
find additional pieces.
My hope is that this work instills a greater appreciation for the
selfless
and valiant contributions made by the countless thousands of young men
who fought for their country and its principles during the Civil War --
men like Samuel Kirkman, Wilson Benjamin and Job Benjamin. Their brave
deeds over 135 years ago defined what the United States of America is
today.
Bart Benjamin
April, 1992 and
February, 2002
