1865
 
 

THE TRIO WELCOME 1865

        For the first and only time during the Civil War, Samuel Kirkman, Job Benjamin and Wilson Benjamin each celebrated the New Year serving their country. However, they did so many miles apart. Samuel Kirkman undoubtedly enjoyed his New Year celebration the most, for his regiment was assigned guard duty in New Orleans. 325 miles to the north, Wilson Benjamin was encamped with this regiment east of Memphis, Tennessee. 475 miles southeast of there, Job Benjamin and his regiment were performing guard duty in Savannah, Georgia.
 
 

THE UNION PLAN TO CAPTURE MOBILE

        Not long after Vicksburg surrendered in the summer of 1863, General Ulysses Grant suggested to General-in-chief Henry Halleck that the Union armies be sent on a campaign against the Confederate seaport of Mobile, Alabama. For some time, General Grant had hoped to command a Union army that would first capture Atlanta and then make its way for Mobile.¹
        However, his promotion to Lieutenant General in the spring of 1864 and subsequent transfer to the eastern theater of the war kept these events from happening.² General Halleck decided to support a campaign into Louisiana and Texas instead -- the ill-fated Red River Campaign.³
        The first step toward Union occupation of Mobile was taken six months later, in August of 1864. In what would be known as the Battle of Mobile Bay, the Union navy, supported by land forces (including Samuel Kirkman's 77th Illinois), captured two rebel strongholds and took control of the waterways, giving the Union army a staging area for future assaults upon the city of Mobile.⁴ These future assaults finally took place in the spring of 1865. Ironically, by the time that the city of Mobile was finally captured, the war was over. As General Grant recalled years later:

I had tried for more than two years to have an expedition sent against Mobile when its possession by us would have been of great advantage. It finally cost lives to take it when its possession was of no importance, and when, if left alone, it would within a few days have fallen into our hands without any bloodshed whatever.⁵

 

WILSON BENJAMIN PREPARES FOR THE MOBILE CAMPAIGN

Company D -- 8th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment -- Brigade unknown -- 1st Division (Brigadier General James Clifford Veatch) -- Reserve Corps, until February 18, 1865; 13th Army Corps (Major General Gordon Granger) -- Army of the Gulf, also known as the Military Division of Western Mississippi (Major General Edward Richard Sprigg Canby).⁶

        On Sunday, January 1, 1865, the 8th Illinois left the Memphis area for New Orleans. They arrived there on January 4th and camped in the mud at Kennersville, Louisiana. There they remained for exactly one month.⁷
        On or about February 8th, the 8th Illinois was assigned to the 1st Division of the Reserve Corps of the Army of the Gulf. The division was commanded by Brigadier General James Clifford Veatch. Just ten days later, with the same commander, the 8th Illinois was reassigned to the 1st Division of the 13th Corps. The overall Union commander of the Army of the Gulf (also known as the Military Division of the Western Mississippi) was Major General Edward Richard Sprigg Canby.⁸ It was General Canby who commanded the overall Union assault on Mobile.
        The 8th Illinois remained at Kennersville until February 4th, when they moved to Lakeport and embarked on Lake Pontchartrain to Dauphin Island at Mobile Bay.⁹ Shortly after arriving at Mobile Bay, the 8th Illinois received a large number of recruits, making its ranks full. These new men soon learned their duties from the veterans, and the regiment was now one of the largest and most effective in the service.¹⁰ The Company D Muster Roll for January/February, 1865 showed Wilson Benjamin to be one of the soldiers now preparing for the final assault on Mobile.¹¹
 
 

SAMUEL KIRKMAN PREPARES FOR THE MOBILE CAMPAIGN

Company K -- 77th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel John B. Reid) -- 1st Brigade (Colonel David Perkins Grier) -- 3rd Division (Brigadier General William Plummer Benton) -- Reserve Corps, until February 18, 1865; 13th Army Corps (Major General Gordon Granger) -- Army of the Gulf, also known as the Military Division of Western Mississippi (Major General Edward Richard Sprigg Canby).¹²

        On January 14, 1865, the 130th Illinois Volunteer Infantry was consolidated into the 77th Illinois, The combined regiment, which retained the designation of 77th Illinois, swelled by the addition of 473 men.¹³ On February 10th, the regiment was marched in review of Brigadier General Thomas West Sherman (commanding the defenses of New Orleans), Major General Stephen Augustus Hurlbut (commanding the Department of the Gulf), and Major General Edward R.S. Canby (commanding the Department of the Western Mississippi). With spring fast approaching, the 77th Illinois was prepared for action at any time.^14-A
        On Monday, February 20th, the regiment received orders to march to Bull Head Landing, Louisiana.  Private William Wiley described a humorous incident during the march that involved one of Samuel Kirkman's friends in Company K, whose carte de visite photograph was one of only 15 that Kirkman kept for the balance of his life:

A good many of the boys had taken a parting swig with their friends before starting [the march] and could not step to the music very well.  Especially Thomas Holt of Company K.  He was so limber that his big knapsack would pull him back until he would double up like a jackknife and down he would go.  But he struggled on to his feet again and came on.^14-B

        Thomas J. Holt from Rosefield, Illinois is pictured in Appendix B.
        After reaching Bull Head Landing, the regiment boarded the steamer "St. Mary," which was the same vessel that had brought them from the sandy shores of Texas to Louisiana almost exactly one year before. During this voyage, the ship encountered a rather bad storm, causing much seasickness. On February 23rd, they landed at Fort Morgan, where they were organized into General Canby's Union force.¹⁵  The Regimental Muster Roll, for January/February, 1865 showed Samuel Kirkman to be one of them.¹⁶
 
 

SAMUEL KIRKMAN AND WILSON BENJAMIN PARTICIPATE IN THE MOBILE CAMPAIGN

        On Friday, March 17, 1865, General Canby, with 45,000 Union troops, began operations to capture the city of Mobile, Alabama. To do so, his Union troops had to defeat a Confederate defense of 10,000 soldiers, 300 guns, and five gunboats. The Union strategy was to send one column of 13,000 men under the command of Frederick Steele westward from Pensacola, Florida. General Canby himself would lead the remaining 32,000 soldiers from the captured Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan northward along the east coast of Mobile Bay toward the Confederate bridgehead at Spanish Fort. The Union navy provided additional support for the land troops.¹⁷ Both Samuel Kirkman's 77th Illinois and Wilson Benjamin's 8th Illinois marched with General Canby column. Each of their regiments also belonged to the same army corps, the 13th Corps, which was commanded by Major General Gordon Granger.¹⁸
        Samuel Kirkman's 77th Illinois was now organized, along with the 28th Illinois, 96th Ohio, and 35th Wisconsin, into the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Division of the 13th Army Corps. On the 26th of March, the 77th Illinois' own Colonel Grier was commissioned Brevet Brigadier General, a promotion well earned by four years of faithful service. When General Canby organized the expedition against Mobile, Colonel Grier was assigned to duty on his Brevet rank, and ordered to command the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 13th Army Corps. Colonel Grier retained command of that brigade throughout the campaign against Mobile.¹⁹
        Although Wilson Benjamin served in the same 13th Army Corps as Samuel Kirkman, his regiment was part of the 1st Division rather than Kirkman's 3rd Division.²⁰
        Lieutenant William Bentley described the march toward Mobile: "The march began at daylight. The roads were sandy and swampy. The country was covered with a dense growth of pines and underbrush." ²¹ Because of wet weather, the progress was slow. Despite the construction of corduroy roads of felled trees, soldiers were occasionally required to become "brevet mules" to transport the supply wagons and artillery pieces. Despite the tough going, the troops made steady progress, and on March 22nd they camped on the east branch of the Fish River.²²
        Each subsequent day, the soldiers moved forward toward Spanish Fort, one of two remaining rebel positions guarding the city of Mobile. On the morning of Sunday, March 26th, the Union troops began taking positions around the rebel fort. General A.J. Smith's 16th Corps moved into position on the right flank of the Union army.²³ General Henry Bertram, commanding the 2nd Division of the 13th Corps, occupied the left flank. The 1st and 3rd Division of the 13th Corps, commanded respectively by Brigadier General James Clifford Veatch and Brigadier General William Plummer Benton, occupied the center position.²⁴ Since Wilson Benjamin belonged to the 1st Division and Samuel Kirkman belonged to the 3rd, they were in relative proximity to one another at this stage of the fighting.
        Private William Wiley described the actions of the 77th Illinois:

We formed our lines around the rebel's works a mile or two back from the forts and threw up some breastworks by cutting logs and piling them up and throwing dirt over them.  We worked until 10 pm and then our band got up on top of our works and serenaded the rebels.^25-A

        On the morning of March 27th, Samuel Kirkman's 3rd Brigade led their division's advance upon Spanish Fort.  With little resistance, Union soldiers moved within a half mile of the rebel works and formed a new line behind the brow of a hill.^25-B  By that same evening, Spanish Fort was fully surrounded and besieged by Union troops. In addition to land forces, Union ironclads were positioned in the bay nearby. During the next few days, Union soldiers constructed defensive works, brought siege guns into better positions, and exchanged frequent volleys with the enemy.^25-C As William Wiley remembered,

The rebels continued to shell us pretty heavy .  We had to dig out places in the hillside and build bomb proofs out of logs by splitting logs and putting the halves over head and throwing dirt over them to sleep in and go into when the rebels shelled us too hard.^25-D

A number of men from both the 8th and 77th Illinois were killed or wounded during these exchanges of gunfire.^25-E
        According to the Adjutant General's report, on Thursday, March 30th, Wilson Benjamin's 8th Illinois was ordered away from Spanish Fort to take position in front of the other rebel stronghold, called Fort Blakely. His regiment reached their destination the following day and camped within four miles of this second rebel fort.²⁶ Their 1st Division was placed near the center of the Union line.²⁷
        The Union army was now laying siege to both rebel positions. Their strategy was to strike first at Spanish Fort, capture it, and then move enough troops to Fort Blakely to capture it. Six days after their arrival at Fort Blakely, the 8th Illinois moved into a different position at the rear of the fort and gradually extended their trenches (also known as saps) toward the fort, using a cylindrical device called a sap roller.²⁸
        Meanwhile, back at Spanish Fort, Samuel Kirkman and the 77th Illinois continued to skirmish daily with the enemy.  On April 7th, William Wiley noted in his journal that "J.W. Avery and J.A. Lindsay of our company [C] were detailed as clerks in the division quartermasters department." ^29-A  J. William Avery, who may have worked beside Samuel Kirkman in the brigade quartermaster's department, was likely another friend of Kirkman's.  The carte de visite photograph that Private Avery exchanged with Samuel Kirkman is shown in Appendix B.
        The evening of Saturday, April 8, 1865 brought the onset of an intense Union bombardment of the rebel works, using 53 siege guns, 37 field artillery pieces, a barrage of rifle muskets, and gunboats.^29-B At about 5:30 p.m., the 16th Corps, led by General A.J. Smith, charged the rebel lines and captured the rebel works along with 200 prisoners.³⁰ By midnight, Spanish Fort was in Union hands.³¹ Now the army could direct its efforts upon the one remaining rebel stronghold -- Fort Blakely.
        On Sunday, April 9, 1865, Samuel Kirkman's 3rd Division marched to join Union troops (including Wilson Benjamin) who were already besieging Fort Blakely.³²  With a total force of 45,000 men, General Canby ordered a general assault on Fort Blakely, to begin at 5:30 P.M.³³ The assault was made by the 1st and 2nd Divisions of the 13th Army Corps and by General Hawkins' Division of black soldiers.³⁴
        According to Private William Wiley, the 77th Illinois was misdirected down the wrong road, and they had to turn around and retrace their steps.  "We arrived at Fort Blakely about 5 o'clock pm," Wiley explained, "but too late to take part in the assault on the fort." ^35-A
        The 77th Illinois, as well as the entire 3rd Division, was held in reserve. Wilson Benjamin's division took an active part in the assault on Fort Blakely, and his was one of the first regiments to plant its colors on the rebel earthworks. In doing so, 10 soldiers from the 8th Illinois were killed and 54 were wounded.^35-B After a very short but intense fight, Fort Blakely fell, and Confederate soldiers soon began to evacuate the city of Mobile. The Battle of Fort Blakely, which is regarded as the final infantry battle of the Civil War, saw the death of 113 Union soldiers and the wounding of 516. Approximately 3,423 rebel soldiers were captured.³⁶ Fort Blakely is important to this story for another reason -- it was the only major battle that Wilson Benjamin participated in.
        As summarized by General Canby, the Mobile Campaign resulted in the "capture of the enemy works at Spanish Fort and Blakely, the surrender of Mobile, the capture of more than 5,000 prisoners, 12 flags, nearly 300 pieces of artillery, several thousand stands of small arms, and large stores of ammunition and other materials of war." ³⁷ However, these acquisitions would soon prove unimportant -- the war was almost over.
 
 

THE WAR ENDS FOR WILSON BENJAMIN AND SAMUEL KIRKMAN

        During the night of Tuesday, April 11th, both Samuel Kirkman and Wilson Benjamin marched about three miles below Fort Blakely to Stark's Landing, crossed Mobile Bay on troop transports, and landed the next morning at Cat Fish Point, just below the city of Mobile.³⁸ Along with the remainder of General Veatch's 1st Division, Wilson Benjamin's 8th Illinois was one of the first regiments to enter the city on April 12, 1865 and was subsequently placed in command of the city. Here it remained, performing patrol and guard duty and undertaking a thorough company and battalion drill, until Saturday, May 27th, when it embarked again for Lakeport.³⁹ The Company D Muster Roll for March/April, 1865 showed that Wilson Benjamin was present for duty.⁴⁰
        While Wilson Benjamin occupied Mobile, Samuel Kirkman's division was ordered to march eight miles up the Tombigbee River to Whistler's Station on Thursday, April 13, 1865. Samuel Kirkman's brigade led the march with their own 77th Illinois band furnishing music as they marched. They reached Whistler's Station at 1 p.m., where they engaged a rebel cavalry force. The Union forces tried to capture the retreating Confederates, but could not. Three Union soldiers and four Confederate soldiers were killed in the brisk fight, which was the last engagement that the 77th Illinois fought in the Civil War.⁴¹ On their return march to Mobile, Colonel Grier was promoted from brigade command to command the 3rd Division. He would retain that status for the remainder of the war.⁴²
        Rumors were now circulating that the Confederate armies had surrendered. Lieutenant William Bentley summed up the soldier's feelings by noting, "so much good news coming so soon after our own victories made the boys feel jubilant." ⁴³ The Company K Muster Roll for March/April, 1865 showed Samuel Kirkman to be one of these jubilant soldiers.⁴⁴ Pension records indicate something else as well. According to Samuel Kirkman, he began to experience a little deafness shortly after leaving Vicksburg in 1863. This condition worsened slightly until 1864, when it began to deteriorate quickly at or near Mobile, Alabama. In March of 1865, he contracted a severe cold during the siege and capture of Spanish Fort, which ultimately led to total deafness in his left ear and (perhaps) some deafness in his right ear. At first, Kirkman gave the matter little if any attention, thinking the condition would soon pass. By the time he realized that the condition was not going away, he felt the regimental doctors could do little good for him. By his own admission, he had a horror of doctors and hospitals.⁴⁵
        Samuel Kirkman's apprehension toward army surgeons and doctors was not uncommon. A sizable percentage of soldiers disliked doctors and believed their medical practices to be worthless.⁴⁶ It is not clear whether or not the hearing loss that Samuel Kirkman described endured for the remainder of his life or gradually lessened. His granddaughter, Margaret (Kirkman) Anderson, did not recall him having any hearing difficulties in his later years.⁴⁷
 
 

JOB BENJAMIN AND THE CAROLINAS CAMPAIGN

Company C -- 76th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Edward Briggs) -- 1st Brigade (Colonel William Burnam Woods) -- 1st Division (Brigadier General Charles Robert Woods) -- 15th Army Corps (Major General John Alexander Logan) -- Right Wing, Army of the Tennessee (Major General Oliver Otis Howard)⁴⁸

        After delivering the city of Savannah, Georgia to President Lincoln as a "Christmas gift," General William Tecumseh Sherman was ordered to begin a campaign northward to unite with the federal armies operating near Richmond in a concerted effort to destroy Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. General Grant's initial plan was to send General Sherman's troops to Virginia via transport ships rather than by foot. When transports were found to be scarce, however, Sherman suggested that his army begin a march through the Carolinas, to which Grant subsequently approved.⁴⁹
        In preparation for this new campaign through the Carolinas, the 76th Ohio broke camp on January 9th and embarked on the gunboat "Winona" for Beaufort, South Carolina. From Beaufort, the regiment marched to Gardner's Corners, where they awaited the onset of the campaign.⁵⁰
        Marching through the Carolinas would not be as easy as their march through Georgia. The weather was bad, the roads were impassable, and the land yielded less to eat and steal. Even more ominous was the fact that General Sherman's federal armies faced a Confederate army vastly superior to the skirmishers he had encountered in Georgia.⁵¹ Although the Confederates had at least 22,500 men opposing Sherman's Federals, they were scattered throughout the Carolinas. Before they could be consolidated, Sherman's army crossed into South Carolina.^52-A
        Charles Willison of the 76th Ohio described the change in attitude once the Union troops entered the Palmetto State:

On entering South Carolina it was made apparent that the Union troops were displaying a notably different temper than in any of their previous campaigns. . . No harm was done to people in their homes, and such homes were not molested. . . But unoccupied property and all property considered of use to the Confederate armies was ruthlessly destroyed.^52-B

        With an army composed of 60,000 troops and 2,500 supply wagons, General Sherman began the march northward on Wednesday, February 1, 1865.⁵³ To confuse the enemy, General Sherman divided his army into two columns. The right wing (including Job Benjamin's regiment) moved in the direction of Charleston, while the left wing moved toward Augusta. The actions of both wings were feinting maneuvers to disguise the army's true destination -- Columbia, South Carolina.⁵⁴
        General Sherman's army, fighting rebel skirmishers and high water, continued to make progress against all odds. Historian Geoffrey Ward described the amazing accomplishments of his army:

Nothing seemed to slow Sherman's soldiers. Battalions of axmen hacked down whole forests to construct corduroy roads for the artillery pieces and supply wagons to move along.⁵⁵

        Sherman and his men were determined to press on. Most Union soldiers blamed South Carolina for the cause of the war. "When I go through South Carolina," Sherman promised, "it will be one of the most horrible things in the history of the world." ⁵⁶ "The truth is," he continued, "the whole army is burning with an insatiable desire to wreak vengeance upon South Carolina. I almost tremble at her fate, but feel that she deserves all that seems in store for her." ⁵⁷ Historian Victor Hicken described the damage inflicted by Union troops:

The presence of such emotions did not bode well for South Carolina. By February 11th, various little towns along the Charleston railroad -- McPhersonville, Hickory Hill, Brighton, Hardeeville, and Barnwell -- lay smoldering in ruins. In Hardeeville, one of the larger wooden churches was torn down plank by plank until, in one big roar, its framework crashed to the ground.⁵⁸

        Confederate resistance was still only sporadic.^59-A  As Private Willison recalled,

In the course of three or four days we crossed the North Edisto near Orangeburg, meeting with som resistance there.  From here nothing worthy of note occurred until we arrived within five or six miles of Columbia. . . Here, lively skirmishing opened up on the 14th.^59-B

        On Thursday, February 16, 1865, Union troops reached the city of Columbia, South Carolina. Job Benjamin's division, commanded by Brigadier General Charles R. Woods, was among the first Union troops in that city following its surrender. As Federal troops marched through the outskirts of the city, they passed an abandoned prison for Federal soldiers that the rebels called Camp Sorghum. Seeing the deplorable condition of the prison camp to which their fellow Union soldiers had recently been imprisoned infuriated the marching soldiers.⁶⁰
        On the night of Friday, February 17, 1865, a fire broke out in federally occupied Columbia that destroyed nearly half the city. Both sides blamed the other for starting the fire.^61-A  Charles Willison expressed little doubt as to the source of this fire:

To my mind there is no question but that the Confederate authorities were themselves responsible for its start.  In abandoning the city they had set fire to a lot of cotton.  The day was clear and a very stiff wind blowing.  As we marched into the city this cotton was being blown and scattered in large flakes. . .  [The fire having] started by such means, I have no doubt our exasperated soldiers -- some of them -- may have had a hand in keeping it going.^61-B

        With some soldiers fighting fires and other soldiers starting them, it was a chaotic and terrible night for residents.^62-A  Private Willison witnessed this sad scene:

All in all, pandemonium reigned that night, and it was indeed a pitiable one for the helpless residents, mostly women and children, driven from comfortable houses and made destitute.  My heart went out to them as I saw them huddled on their porches or in front of their homes, fearfully watching the advancing flames, ready to flee.  But such is war.^62-B

        For four days thereafter, soldiers of the 76th Ohio performed guard duty in the smoldering city.⁶³ The Company C Muster Roll for January/February, 1865 showed Job Benjamin to be present.⁶⁴
        On February 23rd, General Joseph Johnston was brought back to active duty to command the Confederate forces in the Carolinas, at General Lee's request.⁶⁵ Like his previous assignment to defend Atlanta from Sherman's army, General Johnston had an impossible task to perform against overwhelming odds. Fighting on sheer determination and dwindling rations, the remaining soldiers of the rebel army faced a Union army that Johnston conceded, "has not existed since the days of Julius Caesar." ⁶⁶
        After destroying the railroad near Columbia, General Sherman's troops marched in a northeasterly direction toward the small town of Cheraw, South Carolina. Heavy rains slowed their march and delayed their arrival there until March 3rd. In response to this federal movement, General Johnston ordered Confederate forces to concentrate near Fayetteville, North Carolina. However, delays in getting the rebel forces there frustrated the Confederate defense strategy.⁶⁷
        The crossing of the Federal army into North Carolina marked another dramatic change in the attitude of the soldiers. North Carolina, they were reminded, was one of the last states to join the Confederacy, and there were many Union sympathizers living within its borders.⁶⁸ Because of this, the number of atrocities dropped dramatically. On Sunday, March 12th, the 76th Ohio arrived at Fayetteville, North Carolina, joining other divisions that had arrived the day before.⁶⁹ There, federal troops destroyed machinery and transport facilities while they awaited further orders.⁷⁰
        With one column feinting a northward march toward Raleigh, the remaining two columns of Sherman's army left Fayetteville on Wednesday, March 15th and marched northeasterly toward their next objective -- Goldsboro, North Carolina.⁷¹ That same day, the 76th Ohio and their 15th Corps crossed the Cape Fear River. On the following day, March 16th, soldiers from the 20th Army Corps fought a surprisingly fierce struggle with rebel forces near Averasboro. On March 19th, General Sherman's left column, commanded by Major General Henry Warner Slocum, ran up against the bulk of the Confederate army just outside Bentonville. Johnston's plan was to defeat this wing of Sherman's army before it could be reinforced. However, the federal soldiers entrenched and held their ground.⁷²
        The 15th Corps was immediately ordered westward to reinforce Slocum's army. On the morning of Monday, March 20th, the 15th Corps, led by the 76th Ohio's 1st Division, took position beside Slocum's 14th Corps, ending Johnston's hope of crushing Sherman's left wing.⁷³ Bentonville proved to be the last major rebel attempt to stop Sherman's advance.⁷⁴ On the night of March 21st, Confederate forces withdrew in the direction of Smithfield.⁷⁵
        On Thursday, March 23rd, Sherman's army reached Goldsboro and joined forces with the 10th and 23rd Corps arriving from the North Carolina seacoast.⁷⁶ On April 10th, the day after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Sherman's army turned northwesterly to Raleigh.⁷⁷ The 76th Ohio remained in Raleigh until General Johnston's surrender on April 26, 1865.⁷⁸ The Company C Muster Roll for March/April, 1865 showed Job Benjamin to be present for duty.⁷⁹
        Many historians consider William Tecumseh Sherman to have been one of the Union's greatest generals, primarily because of the skill he demonstrated in the Carolinas Campaign. Military historian Mark Boatner III summarized the amazing accomplishments of this campaign:

From Savannah to Goldsboro, the Grand Army of the West had marched 425 miles in 50 days, of which 10 were allocated to rest ... The march through the Carolinas had been one continuous battle with the elements, and must be reckoned a much greater achievement than the more famous march through Georgia, which by comparison was a mere pleasure trip. As a triumph of physical endurance and mechanical skill on the part of the army and of inflexible resolution in the general, it stands unrivalled in the history of modern war.⁸⁰

 

THE WAR ENDS FOR SAMUEL KIRKMAN

Company K -- 77th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel John A. Burdett) -- 1st Brigade (Colonel David Perkins Grier) -- 3rd Division (Brigadier General William Plummer Benton) -- 13th Army Corps (Major General Gordon Granger) -- Army of the Gulf, also known as the Military Division of Western Mississippi (Major General Edward Richard Sprigg Canby).⁸¹

        On April 23, 1865, during their return march from Whistler's Station, the soldiers of the 77th Illinois learned about the assassination of President Lincoln. Lieutenant William Bentley described their feelings:

Upon him, more than upon any other man, had we depended for the salvation of the country during the last four years. He had stood bravely at the helm through all the storms; and now to be stricken down by the cowardly assassin, instigated by southern traitors, just as he was bringing the old ship of state safely into the harbor, seemed to be too much to endure.⁸²

        On Tuesday, April 25th, the brigade marched farther up along the Tombigbee River for McIntosh Bluff, where the stars and stripes were raised over the headquarters of their division commander, General William P. Benton. Many local residents, realizing that the end of the war was near, approached the Union armies to take the oath of allegiance.⁸³ The official surrender of Confederate General Richard Taylor to General Canby took place on Thursday, May 4th in Citronelle, Alabama.^84-A
        In William Wiley's journal entry for May 6, 1865, he noted,

A national salute was fired on account of the surrender of the department of the Gulf by the rebels to Gen. E.R.S. Canby.  All hostilities were ordered to cease and we felt our work was done.^84-B

        On May 9th, soldiers of the 77th Illinois boarded either the "St. Nicholas" or "St. Charles" transport boat to return to Mobile.^85-A  Upon arrival there, Private Wiley described the appearance of the dispirited Confederate soldiers:

The rebel soldiers were coming in from all directions. . . The most of them looked pretty sad.  They looked pretty badly used up.  Their old butternut clothes were all in rags.  They felt very different from what we did.  They had staked their all and lost it and were beating there way back as a vanquished army to desolate homes and were expecting soon to return as a conquering host to pleasant homes.^85-B

        On May 25th, while the 77th Illinois was camped about two miles from Mobile, they were witness to a terrible explosion.  A large warehouse in the northeast part of the city filled with ammunition and gunpowder somehow ignited, causing an explosion so great that it destroyed nine blocks of the city and killed several hundred people.  As Private William Wiley described,

We were something over two miles [away] and the concussion nearly took the tops of our heads off... One of our company Wm Avery [see Appendix B] was down in the city at the time with one of the commissary teams and him and his team had a very narrow escape. ^85-C

        On June 1st, several officers who had been captured during the Red River Campaign and had spent over a year in a Confederate prison in Tyler, Texas rejoined the 77th Illinois.  Just over two weeks later, they would be mustered out of the army and transported back home to Illinois.^85-D
        On June 3rd, the troops were reviewed by General Gordon Granger, in part to honor Chief Justice Salmon Chase, who was visiting Mobile.  The veteran soldiers, aware that such reviews were often a prelude to more fighting, asked one another, "What next?" ^85-E
        But instead of more fighting, Colonel David Grier (now Brevet Brigadier General Grier) brought back good news from New Orleans. He had met with General Philip H. Sheridan and had succeeded in having a special order issued to muster out the 77th Illinois. Only one other regiment in their division -- the 96th Ohio -- would be mustered out at this same time.⁸⁶ The order was issued on Friday, June 23, 1865.⁸⁷ Samuel Kirkman, who was listed as present in the Company K Muster Roll for May/June, 1865, could finally breathe a sigh of relief.⁸⁸ He was coming home!
        On Monday, July 10, 1865, Samuel Kirkman and his fellow soldiers of the 77th Illinois Volunteer Infantry were mustered out of the army in Mobile, Alabama.^89-A  Private William Wiley described the excitement that he and his comrades felt that day:

This was a day that we had long looked forward to when we could feel that our work which we had enlisted to do was done and we could lay down our arms and return to our homes and we felt happy in the thought that our work was well done. . . We had done well our part in achieving a glorious victory in preserving and strengthening our institutions and restoring peace to our land and felt happy in the thought of soon returning to our homes and friends from whom we had been separated for three long weary years.  But yet we could not keep a feeling of sadness at the thought of breaking up our organization and separating perhaps many of us never to meet again.^89-B

        The Muster-out roll for Samuel Kirkman read, "Last paid to Feb. 28. Clothing account last settled Dec. 31, 1863; drawn since $99.37. Due U.S. $19.12. Bounty paid $25.00; due $75.00." ⁹⁰
        On Wednesday, July 12th, his regiment left camp, marched through the city and boarded the steamer "White Cloud" for New Orleans.⁹¹ While en route to New Orleans that night, the 77th Illinois experienced another brush with death, as described by Lieutenant William Bentley:

That night a storm came down upon us with relentless fury. The vessel rolled and tossed on the foaming billows. The 'hog chains' connecting the vessel fore and aft to prevent the ends from dipping broke, and the vessel opened just in front of the cabin wide enough for a man to crawl through. Had the 500 men of the 19th Iowa been on board [they had left the boat protesting the transport of mules on the same boat] the probability is that the additional weight would have insured the destruction of all.⁹²

        Arriving safely in New Orleans the following afternoon, they immediately boarded the "Lady Franklin" for the trip upriver. As they floated up the Mississippi River, they could not help but notice the ruin and desolation caused by war. On July 17th, they briefly stopped at Vicksburg to take on coal; all soldiers certainly remembered their struggle there two years earlier.⁹³ On Saturday, July 22nd, they arrived in Cairo, Illinois and "once more after an absence of nearly three years set foot on the soil of their own state." ⁹⁴ They were immediately transported over land to Springfield, where they assembled at Camp Butler to await final muster out and payment.
        On Thursday, July 27, 1865, the soldiers of the 77th Illinois enjoyed their last night in camp. The following day, they would be transported back to Peoria and to their separate civilian lives once again. A festive farewell took place that evening. Soldiers procured a quantity of candles, which they placed throughout camp for illumination. Speeches were made, music was played, and the soldiers who had stood beside each other for nearly three years said their goodbyes. The next day, each soldier marched to the paymaster's office, was paid, and became "citizens of full rank" once again.⁹⁵
        One final step remained -- the return to Peoria. This took place on Saturday, July 29, 1865. Upon their arrival at 7 a.m., the returning 260 soldiers of the 77th Illinois marched to Rouses Hall, an opera house on the corner of Main and Jefferson streets, where the local Women's National League had prepared a royal welcome and bountiful breakfast -- "a right royal greeting to stomachs so long inured to hard tack and salt pork." ⁹⁶ After breakfast, the regiment reassembled in the nearby Court House Square for more speeches and regimental band music.  Special tributes were paid to those soldiers who had not returned, particularly the regiment's lieutenant colonel Lysander Webb, who had been killed near Mansfield, Louisiana during the ill-fated Red River Campaign.⁹⁷
        Lieutenant William Bentley described his feelings at this final gathering:

After the morning speeches, the boys disbanded; and the old 77th, except as a factor of the past in the history of our country's struggle, ceased to exist. For the deeds of her history, the war records must tell the story. We have written the last page, for our battles are all fought and our marches are all ended. As the years come apace, and in our declining years, if we should meet again in some bright day of reunion, though the furrows may mark our brows and the hair be grey, and the eyes lose some of their luster, yet the recalling of these eventful years will quicken the blood in its conduits and make us feel the spirit of youth's ambition again. We now go to our homes and to our industries, once more settling down of good citizens of a country we feel proud to call our own; a country purchased with sacrifices that are colored with the purple of noble lives. And may God grant that from henceforth, from the Lakes to the Gulf, and from Ocean to Ocean, it may be OUR COUNTRY, one and indivisible, now and forever.⁹⁸

 

THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR

        Many believe that the Civil War ended when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia on Sunday, April 9, 1865. Although this was certainly the most famous surrender of Confederate armies, there were to be several more before the Civil War could be called officially ended throughout the land.
        On Wednesday, April 26, 1865, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston formally surrendered to Major General William Tecumseh Sherman in North Carolina. Job Benjamin was in the Union army nearby that was affected by this Confederate surrender.
        On Thursday, May 4, 1865, Confederate forces commanded by Confederate Lieutenant General Richard Taylor surrendered to Major General Edward R. S. Canby in Alabama, thus ending the Confederate fighting east of the Mississippi. Wilson Benjamin and Samuel Kirkman were in the Union army that was affected by that surrender.
        The final Confederate force, commanded by Lieutenant General Edmund K. Smith, surrendered to Major General Canby on Friday, May 26, 1865.⁹⁹ The Civil War had finally ended!
 
 

JOB BENJAMIN AFTER THE CIVIL WAR

        On Sunday, April 30, 1865, the Army of the Tennessee broke camp in North Carolina, marched across Virginia, and arrived in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, May 23rd. Still assigned to the 15th Army Corps, the 76th Ohio participated in the grand review before the nation's capital and its new president, Andrew Johnson.^100-A  Private Charles Willison described this exciting event:

To my mind no spectacle in the history of our nation can equal this [Grand Review] in stirring pathos, and no wonder that strong men went wild in their enthusiasm as the conquering hosts filed by.  The shadow over it all was that our beloved Lincoln, who had so wonderfully conducted the "Ship of State" up to its safe harbor, could not witness it.^100-B

        Shortly thereafter, the 76th Ohio was transported back to Louisville, Kentucky, presumably to muster out those soldiers whose term of duty had expired.^100-C Job Benjamin was not one of these fortunate soldiers. Because of his one year absence, Job Benjamin still owed the government six months of service from his original three year commitment.
        Job Benjamin was evidently not pleased by the prospect of remaining with the army while many of his fellow soldiers returned home. The eye injury that he sustained eleven months earlier in the Battle of Atlanta probably diminished his interest in army life even further. After his return to Louisville, Job Benjamin deserted his regiment for the second time on Monday, June 19, 1865. This second desertion ruined any chance of a government pension in later years.¹⁰¹
        After his second desertion from the army, Job Benjamin returned to his family in Ohio. During the next four years, he and his wife Elizabeth had two more children, Effie (b. 1866) and Lacy (b. 1869). Sometime around 1870, Job Benjamin and his wife moved to Carrollton, Missouri, a small town in Carroll County approximately 65 miles east-northeast of Kansas City. It was here that Job Benjamin spent the remaining years of his life. While in Missouri, Job and Elizabeth had their three remaining children, Mary (b. 1871), Clemmie (b. 1873), and Sarah (b. 1877).¹⁰²
        Beginning in 1888, Job Benjamin (and later his widow) tried unsuccessfully to obtain a government pension for his Civil War service, based upon the gunshot wound he sustained in the Battle of Atlanta and the chronic respiratory problems he suffered following his bout with bronchitis in December of 1863. The chronology of their efforts, derived from pension records obtained from the National Archives in Washington, follows:

May 4, 1888. Personally appeared in front of Circuit Clerk John R. Edwards of Carroll County, Missouri, to contract the legal services of Washington, D.C. attorney George E. Lemon. In the presence of two witnesses (Robert P. Carpenter and Alexander Bailey), Job Benjamin signed Articles of Agreement which allowed attorney George Lemon to represent him in proceedings to obtain an Original Invalid Pension (no. 655.759) from the United States government.

May 22, 1888. Application for Original Invalid Pension is filed in Washington, D.C.

July, 1888. Dr. Robert Holladay from Carrollton requested additional information about Job Benjamin's war injury from the Bureau of Pensions, U.S. Department of the Interior. These were sent to him on July 7th.

August 1, 1888. Job Benjamin appeared in the office of Dr. Robert Holladay of Carrollton. He is examined by three doctors, who subsequently filed a Surgeon's Certificate describing Job Benjamin's disability. The examination confirmed total blindness in the right eye. In addition to describing the gunshot wound, the Surgeon's Certificate also made a reference to his respiratory ailments, apparently caused by the bronchitis that Job Benjamin contracted on the cold, rainy march to winter camp in December of 1863. This report stated that Job Benjamin showed no signs of bronchitis, but did indicate "severe chronic pharyngitis." ¹⁰³ This Surgeon's Certificate is received in Washington on September 10th.

November 21, 1888. A three-page report is issued from the Adjutant General's Office of the War Department. This report described Job Benjamin's desertion and injuries, and denied him an honorable discharge because of his desertions.

December 3, 1888. Additional medical evidence from Dr. J. Brown from Carrollton, Missouri is sent to attorney George Lemon. Dr. Brown described Job Benjamin's chronic bronchial and throat infections that he treated.

February, 1889. On February 12th, additional evidence is sent to attorney George Lemon -- an affidavit of Isaac Preston, a fellow private in Job Benjamin's regiment. Mr. Preston briefly described Job Benjamin's injury in the Battle of Atlanta and how he helped Job Benjamin to the field hospital. Another Original Invalid Claim is submitted by attorney George Lemon. On March 10th, this claim was rejected.

August 27, 1891. Additional evidence was sent to attorney George Lemon -- an affidavit of Miles Arnold, a 1st Lieutenant in Job Benjamin's regiment. Mr. Arnold briefly described Job Benjamin's injury in the Battle of Atlanta and vouches for Job Benjamin's character and bravery.

September 18, 1891. Personally appeared once again in front of the Circuit Clerk John R. Edwards of Carroll County, Missouri, to contract the legal assistance of a new attorney in Washington, D.C. -- J.H. Soule from the firm of Soule and Company. In the presence of two witnesses, Thomas McGuire and John Little, Job Benjamin signed Articles of Agreement which allowed attorney J.H. Soule to represent him in proceedings to obtain an Original Invalid Pension (no. 655.759) from the United States government. The papers were received on September 26th. The affidavit of Miles Arnold, originally to be sent to George Lemon, was sent to Soule and Company instead. This document was received by the Pension Office on October 14th. This request was apparently rejected.

January 1, 1892. Job Benjamin died at Carrollton, Missouri at the age of 62.

April 16, 1895. Elizabeth Benjamin, Job's widow, personally appeared in front of Notary Public George Jacobs of Carrollton, to contract the legal assistance of a new attorney in Washington, D.C. -- James E. Brophy. In the presence of two witnesses, Susan Bishop and C.J. Tomlin, Elizabeth Benjamin signed Articles of Agreement which allowed attorney James Brophy to represent her in proceedings to obtain a widow pension from the United States government. These papers were received in Washington on April 19th. This request was apparently rejected.

August 25, 1902. Elizabeth Benjamin appeared in front of Notary Public R. E. Buchanan of Carrollton, to contract the legal assistance of a new attorney in Washington, D.C. -- William Conrad and Company. In the presence of two witnesses, Silas Ballarg and William McIntyre, Elizabeth Benjamin signed Articles of Agreement which allowed attorneys from Conrad and Co. to represent her in proceedings to obtain a widow's pension from the United States government. These papers were received in Washington on September 2nd.

Also on August 25th, a General Affidavit was filed by Susan Bishop, a neighbor of Elizabeth Benjamin's, that confirmed the death of Job Benjamin and Elizabeth's widow status.

September 3, 1902. The Bureau of Pensions established a widow's claim in the name of Elizabeth Benjamin.

October 10, 1902. The Bureau of Pensions denied Elizabeth Benjamin's request for a widow's pension.
 
 

WILSON BENJAMIN AFTER THE CIVIL WAR

        On Monday, May 29, 1865, the 8th Illinois camped on a race course just outside the city of New Orleans.¹⁰⁴ The Company D Muster Roll for May/June, 1865 showed Wilson Benjamin was present for duty.¹⁰⁵ Two days later, the regiment left the city and proceeded up the Mississippi and Red Rivers to Shreveport, where it arrived on Friday, June 9th. On June 16th, it was ordered to Marshall, Texas, where it remained in camp, engaged in guard duty and occasional expeditions for the protection of government property and officials.¹⁰⁶
        Records show that Wilson Benjamin was stricken with intestinal fever (influenza) from June 20th to 24th. On September 14th and 15th, he suffered a far more serious condition -- acute dysentery -- which was an all too common condition for Civil War soldiers. Luckily, he recovered rather quickly and was returned to duty.¹⁰⁷ The Company D Muster Roll for July/August showed Wilson Benjamin to be present. The next muster roll, for September/October, 1865, indicated that Wilson Benjamin was mustered out of the regiment on September 26, 1865 "by reason of expiration of service." ¹⁰⁸
        Sometime in 1870, Wilson Benjamin apparently left his wife Lydia and son William behind and moved westward to Marion County, Kansas. Despite the geographic separation, Wilson Benjamin continued to correspond with his son, William. In 1872, his wife Lydia applied for a divorce in the Circuit Court of Peoria County, which was granted on May 13, 1872. Lydia married Henry S. Cole in 1873 and died on May 8, 1886.¹⁰⁹
        According to genealogical research conducted by Roland and Maxine Benjamin, Wilson had another son named Alpha Wilson Benjamin, who was born in Kansas in 1874. The mother's name is unknown. However, their research of Federal Census records revealed that Alpha Benjamin was living with an aunt and uncle in Missouri in 1880.
        Sometime between 1874 and 1877, Wilson Benjamin assumed the name of Benjamin S. Wilson, the name that he retained for the remainder of his life.¹¹⁰ On December 24, 1877, Benjamin Wilson (as he now called himself) married Margaret Brewer near Florence, Kansas in Marion County (45 miles northeast of Wichita). Justice of the Peace J.K. McLean performed the ceremony.¹¹¹ Benjamin Wilson was 36 years old. Margaret was only 15 years old, having been born on March 18, 1862 in Kansas to John Brewer and Rebecca Norris (who were originally from Indiana).¹¹² However, the marriage license declared her age as 18 and Benjamin's at 30.
        Benjamin Wilson and his new wife Margaret had a total of seven children, but only four sons and one daughter survived infancy. Their family moved fairly often, as evidenced by the birthplaces of each of their children. One daughter (Florence E.) was born dead before they were married on February 15, 1877. The other children were Warren A. (born November 8, 1880 in Florence, Kansas), Clifford L. (born dead on March 18, 1886 in Eldorado, Kansas), Clyde (born May 9, 1888 in Eldorado, Kansas), Cecil A. (born August 18, 1890 in Guthrie, Oklahoma), Ralph L. (born February 7, 1895 in Lincoln County, Oklahoma), and Clara M. (born January 3, 1899 in Lincoln County, Oklahoma).¹¹³ The latter two children may have been born near the town of Sparks, Oklahoma in Lincoln County (40 miles east-northeast of Oklahoma City). Sparks is the town that Margaret Wilson listed as her residence on government pension forms. While living in Kansas and Oklahoma, Benjamin Wilson practiced the trade of a stonecutter.¹¹⁴
        Unlike Job Benjamin, Benjamin Wilson was eligible for a pension and received one (pension certificate 1,077,128). On February 4, 1911, Benjamin Wilson approached O.H. Hill, a Notary Public in the town of Sparks, and reapplied for his pension. Apparently, this was done to comply to new government regulations.¹¹⁵ His monthly pension at the time was $32.¹¹⁶
        Benjamin Wilson died on May 22, 1919 at the age of 78. He apparently died in Hope, Arkansas (in the southwestern part of the state) and was transported back to Sparks, Oklahoma for burial in White Dove Cemetery.¹¹⁷
        On June 9, 1919, 18 days after her husband's death, Margaret Wilson approached the local Notary Public and filed a claim for a widow's pension. She evidently received a pension of $40 per month for the remainder of her life.¹¹⁸ Margaret died of intestinal cancer on November 24, 1935 at the age of 73.¹¹⁹
 
 

SAMUEL KIRKMAN AFTER THE CIVIL WAR

        For Samuel Kirkman, the return "to home and industry" meant a return to farming his land in Kickapoo Township. On February 21, 1867, at the age of 21, he married Louisa Greenhalgh (b. 1845) in Peoria, Illinois, with Reverend J.H. Morron performing the ceremony. The Kirkmans had three children who survived infancy. Alice Ann was born November 28, 1868; Mary (or "Millie") was born May 19, 1870; and Robert B. was born August 25, 1873.¹²⁰ Another child, Alfred, died in infancy.¹²¹ In 1870, the couple moved to Richwoods Township. In 1874, they moved back to Kickapoo Township, and in 1898 they moved to Logan Township.¹²² Pension records imply his residence as Kickapoo from May of 1879 through December of 1889, his residence as Edwards in October of 1890, and his residence as Trivoli from December of 1902 thereafter.¹²³
        Because of his honorable discharge, Samuel Kirkman was eligible for a government pension and received one (pension certificate 198,038). The chronology of his efforts, derived from pension records obtained from the National Archives in Washington, follows:

May 29, 1879. Personally appeared in front of the Clerk of the Peoria County Court to apply for a government pension. He was represented by Peoria attorney Chauncey Nye and the document was witnessed by William Harper and Peter Hoffman. He briefly described his bullet wound to his right arm that left him partially disabled. His residence was given as Kickapoo.

May 10, 1880. The Government Pension Office of the Department of the Interior requested the Adjutant General of the United States to report the full service record and injury report for Samuel Kirkman.

October 12, 1880. The Adjutant General's Office of the War Department confirmed that Samuel Kirkman did fight in the Civil War and was "slightly wounded" at Arkansas Post, Arkansas. Apparently, a pension was granted in the amount of $4 per month.

September 14, 1882. Samuel Kirkman appears before County Judge John C. Yates to have his pension increased because of his present physical condition. Representing him once again was Peoria attorney Chauncey Nye. Two witnesses, Harry Lamboley and John Buckley, appeared on Samuel Kirkman's behalf as well. The outcome of this proceeding is not known.

January 21, 1889. Samuel Kirkman completed a Claimant's Affidavit and filed it with the Clerk of the County Court. The affidavit described in detail the gunshot wound he received at Arkansas Post and the fact that his injury prevented him from doing any heavy farm work. He also described another acute disease he suffered from -- a bout of bilious fever and congestive chills that lasted from August, 1867 to January, 1868. Dr. Wilkinson of Kickapoo treated this illness.

December 7, 1889. Samuel Kirkman completed another Claimant's Affidavit and filed it with the Clerk of the County Court. This affidavit described the hearing loss he first noticed after leaving Vicksburg in 1863, the severe cold he caught in March of 1865, and the near total deafness in the left ear that resulted. This time, however, the additional evidence was filed by Washington, D.C. attorney Herbert E. Woodward, who evidently was now handling his case for an increase in his government pension.

October, 1890. A General Affidavit was filed by Jacob LaFollett of Hanna City, who served with Samuel Kirkman in the same Company of the 77th Illinois Regiment. LaFollett confirmed the deafness that Samuel Kirkman contracted during the war in an affidavit submitted to John McDermott, Notary Public. On the 20th, Samuel Kirkman went to the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Thaddeus Simpson, to complete an Inability Affidavit. Witnessed by William W. King and Jacob LaFollett (both Company K comrades), his affidavit added details to his deafness claim. His residence was now given as Edwards.

January 15, 1898. The U.S. Pension Agent in Chicago requested information about Samuel Kirkman's marital status, wife and children's names. This information was to be sent to the Bureau of Pensions so that Kirkman would receive his next quarterly pension payment.

September 9, 1901. Samuel Kirkman's wife, Louisa, died.

December 23, 1902. Three General Affidavits were filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Thaddeus Simpson. The first was that of William W. King, the second was that of Nicholas Hoffman, and the third was that of Samuel Kirkman. Each described the injury that Samuel Kirkman sustained while chopping wood in March of 1874, as follows. On or about March 1st, 1874, he was the victim of an accident while working on the farm of Henry Story near Pottstown. While engaged in chopping wood, clearing away trees, and clearing away underbrush, he accidentally struck a glancing blow with an axe upon his big toe, splitting the toe. This injury caused Kirkman much difficulty in walking the rest of his life.^124-A His residence was now given as Trivoli.

May 16, 1907. Samuel Kirkman appeared again before the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Thaddeus Simpson, to complete a Declaration for Pension form. This time he was not represented by an attorney. The proceedings were witnessed by Lewis Hines and C.A.W. Farli. The outcome of this visit is not known.

April 9, 1915. The Bureau of Pensions requested updated information about Samuel Kirkman's birthplace, wife and children. He informed them of his wife's death in 1901.

August 26, 1931. Samuel Kirkman enlisted the help of Trivoli attorney Ralph Du Mars to increase his monthly pension from the current value of $72 per month, This attempt was evidently successful, because at the time of his death, records showed that he received a monthly pension of $75.

September 13, 1931. Samuel Kirkman died at Trivoli, Illinois at the age of 86. He was buried in Cottonwood Cemetery, which is located in Rosefield Township of Peoria County, Illinois, just a few miles north and east of Trivoli. His parents, Robert Kirkman (d. 1891) and Alice Bromley Kirkman (d. 1890) had previously been buried there.^124-B

        With the passing of Samuel Kirkman, my family's last Civil War veteran was gone. During the next 28 years, all remaining Civil War veterans --- North and South -- would perish, severing the direct link we had to this watershed event in American history.
        In the Kirkman-Doubet-Benjamin genealogy that led to the author of this book, Samuel Kirkman's daughter Alice Ann married John Doubet (1863-1935) and had three children, Herman LeRoy (1893-1919), Beulah Isabelle (1895-1978) and Walter F. (1896-1953) before Alice Ann's death in 1919.¹²⁵
        In 1920, Beulah Doubet married Harley Benjamin (1891-1968) and had three sons, Hollis (b. 1925), Roland (b. 1928) and Jerald (b. 1933).¹²⁶ Hollis married Dolores Jean Manuel of Peoria in 1952 and had one daughter Cheri (b. 1955) and one son Bart (b. 1958).
 
 

A FINAL TRIBUTE TO THE CIVIL WAR SOLDIER

written by Lieutenant William H. Bentley
Company I, 77th Illinois Volunteer Infantry

There is an unwritten record in the life of every soldier -- a record all the more interesting because unwritten -- a record of heroic deeds, of patient suffering, of toil and privation, of watchfulness and weariness, of exposure and danger, which if fully known and realized, would command the enthusiastic plaudits of the world ... The private soldier who plods wearily along the dusty road and cheerfully bears the burdens of the most arduous and exacting campaigns, is the true personification of heroism. Without a murmur and without complaint; leading a life of constant insecurity; with no personal consideration; actuated only by a patriotic love of country, he flings his apparently worthless life away with those hallowed words, GOD and MOTHER, lingering on his dying lips ...

. . . [Years later], let us not forget the past. Let us cling to the sacred memories of the war and preserve inviolate the friendships 'welded in the fire of battle.' And let us cherish -- ever fondly cherish -- the memory of our patriotic dead. On the annual return of each memorial day, let us gather our garlands of flowers and strew them, an offering of sweet incense, on their graves. And there kneeling at those hallowed shrines, renew our allegiance to the principles for which they died. And above all, let us be true to our Country and our Flag -- 'with malice toward none, with charity for all.' ¹²⁷

.
. © 2002 by Bart Benjamin .
.
. 1865 FOOTNOTES <>1.  Grant, pp. 388-389.
2.  Ibid., pp. 458-459.
3.  Ibid., pp. 388-389.
4.  Bowman, p. 174.
5.  Grant, p. 758.
6.  Boatner, pp. 118, 194-196, 351-352, 364, 868-869.
7.  Reece, p. 431.
8.  Boatner, pp. 118, 364, 868-869.
9.  Reece, p. 431.
10.  Ibid.
11.  from Company D Muster Roll, from the National Archives.
12.  Bentley, pp. 307 and 338; Boatner, pp. 60, 118, 194, 351-352, 364.  According to Winschel, pp. 137 and 140, Lt. Col. Reid, originally a major in the 130th Illinois, was promoted to command the consolidated 77th Illinois regiment.
13.  Bentley, pp. 331-334.
14-A.  Ibid., pp. 334-335.
14-B.  Winschel, p. 139.  The author assumes Kirkman and Holt were friends because Holt's carte de visite photograph was one of only 15 that Kirkman kept until his death.
15.  Bentley, pp. 334-338.
16.  from Co. K Muster Roll, from the National Archives.
17.  Boatner, p. 559.
18.  Bentley, p. 338.
19.  Ibid., p. 29.
20.  Hicken, p. 344. This fact is deduced by comparing Bentley's account, Reece's account and information from Boatner's Civil War Dictionary. Reece stated that the 8th Illinois Regiment took position in front of Fort Blakely on March 31st, was actively involved in the assault on Fort Blakely and occupied the city of Mobile after its surrender. Crossreferencing this information with Bentley (pp. 343 and 345) and Boatner (pp. 68 and 868-869), I deduced that the 8th Illinois was part of the 1st Division of the 13th Corps. The Divisional commander was James Clifford Veatch.
21.  Bentley, pp. 339-340.
22.  Ibid., p. 340.
23.  Ibid., p. 341.
24.  Ibid., pp. 338, 341 and 345; Boatner, pp. 62 and 868-869.
25-A.  Winschel, p. 145.
25-B.  Ibid.
25-C. Bentley, p. 341; Reece, p. 431.
25-D.  Winschel, p. 146.
25-E.  Bentley, p. 341; Reece, p. 431.
26.  Reece, p. 431.
27.  Boatner, p. 68.
28.  Reece, p. 431.
29-A.  Winschel, p. 149.
29-B. Bentley, p. 342; Boatner, p. 780; Johnson and Buel, IV, 411.
30.  Bentley, p. 342.
31.  Boatner, p. 781.
32.  Bentley, pp. 342-343.
33.  Boatner, p. 68.
34.  Bentley, p. 343.
35-A.  Winschel, p.
35-B.  Reece, p. 431.
36.  Boatner, p. 68.
37.  Bentley, p. 345.
38.  Ibid., p. 344.
39.  Reece, p. 431.
40.  from Company D Muster Roll, from the National Archives.
41.  Bentley, pp. 345-347; Winschel, p. 152.
42.  Ibid., p. 29.
43.  Ibid., p. 347.
44.  from Co. K Muster Roll, from the National Archives.
45.  This claim was confirmed by an affidavit filed on October 11, 1890 by Jacob Lafollet, who also served in Co. K, and was a neighbor of Kirkman's after the war. In an Inability Affidavit filed October 20, 1890, Samuel Kirkman requested the testimony of William King and Jacob Lafollet in lieu of medical evidence.
46.  Robertson, Soldiers Blue and Gray. p. 158.
47.  from a telephone interview with Margaret Anderson in January, 1992.
48.  Johnson and Buel, IV, 696.
49.  Grant, p. 671.
50.  Reid, p. 443.
51.  Grant, p. 672.
52-A.  Hicken, p. 290.
52-B.  Willison, pp. 108-109.
53.  Boatner, p. 125.
54.  Bowman, p. 197.
55.  Ward, p. 356.
56.  Ibid.
57.  Sherman, p. 705.
58.  Hicken, p. 291.
59-A.  Ibid., p. 292.
59-B.  Willison, p. 111.
60.  Hicken, p. 293.
61-A.  Boatner, p. 167.
61-B.  Willison, p. 115-116.
62-A.  Hicken, p. 294.
62-B.  Willison, p. 116.
63.  Reid, p. 443.
64.  from Company C Muster Roll, from the National Archives.
65.  Boatner, pp. 125 and 441.
66.  Ward, p. 356.
67.  Boatner, p. 126.
68.  Hicken, p. 295.
69.  Bowman, p. 202; Reid, p. 443.
70.  Bowman, p. 202.
71.  Ibid., p. 203.
72.  Ibid.; Boatner, p. 35.
73.  Sherman, pp. 785-786.
74.  Bowman, p. 204.
75.  Hicken, p. 297.
76.  Bowman, p. 204; Boatner, p. 124 and 127.
77.  Bowman, p. 210.
78.  Reid, p. 443; Boatner, p. 127.
79.  from Company C Muster Roll, from the National Archives.
80.  Boatner, p. 127.
81.  Bentley, pp. 307 and 338; Boatner, pp. 60, 118, 194, 351-352, 364.
82.  Bentley, p. 348.
83.  Ibid., pp. 348-349.
84-A.  Bowman, p. 213.
84-B.  Winschel, p. 159.
85-A.  Bentley, p. 349-350.
85-B.  Winschel, pp. 161-162.
85-C.  Ibid., p. 164-165.
85-D.  Ibid., p. 167.
85-E.  Bentley, p. 349-350; Winschel, p. 167.
86.  Ibid., p. 353.
87.  Ibid., p. 357.
88.  from Co. K Muster Roll, from the National Archives.
89-A.  from Civil War Service Report, from Illinois State Archives.
89-B.  Winschel, p. 175.
90.  from Co. K Muster-Out Roll, from the National Archives.
91.  Bentley, p. 378.
92.  Ibid., p. 379.
93.  Ibid., pp. 380-381.
94.  Ibid., p. 381.
95.  Ibid., p. 383.
96.  Ibid., p. 385; Winschel, p. 182 (note).
97.  Bentley, pp. 386-391; Winschel, p. 183.
98.  Ibid., p. 390-391.
99.  All surrender dates are from Boatner, p. 822.
100-A.  Reid, p. 443; Ward, p. 393.
100-B.  Willison, p. 124.
100-C. Reid, p. 443; Ward, p. 393; Willison, p. 125.
101.  from Co. K Muster Roll, from the National Archives; Adjutant General's Report, dated November 21, 1888.
102.  from genealogical research conducted by Roland and Maxine Benjamin.
103.  Pharyngitis is inflammation of the mucous membranes of the pharynx, more commonly referred to as a chronic sore throat.
104.  Reece, p. 431.
105.  from Company D Muster Roll, from the National Archives.
106.  Reece, p. 431.
107.  from Bureau of Pensions records, dated January 14, 1904, from the National Archives.
108.  from Company D Muster Rolls, from the National Archives.
109.  from Affidavits of William J. Benjamin and John Hart, dated February 18 and February 6, 1920, respectively, from the National Archives.
110.  from genealogical research conducted by Roland and Maxine Benjamin.
111.  from Declaration of Widow's Pension, dated June 9, 1919; Marriage License, Marion County, Kansas, both from the National Archives.
112.  from Death Certificate of Margaret Wilson, dated January 14, 1936, from the National Archives.
113.  from Bureau of Pensions, Department of the Interior, dated April 5, 1915; Declaration for Widow's Pension, dated June 9, 1919, from the National Archives.
114.  Benjamin, p. 10.
115.  from Burial or Removal Permit, Bureau of Vital Statistics, State of Arkansas, dated May 25, 1919; Affidavit of William J. Benjamin, dated February 18, both from the National Archives.
116.  from Declaration of Pension, dated February 4, 1911, from the National Archives.
117.  from Pensioner Dropped form, Bureau of Pensions, Department of the Interior, dated June 6, 1919, from the National Archives.
118.  from Declaration for Widow's Pension, dated June 9, 1919; Stop Payment Notice, Veterans Administration, dated January 29, 1936, both from the National Archives.
119.  from Death Certificate of Margaret Wilson, dated January 14, 1936; Application for Reimbursement (of medical expenses) filed by son Warren A. Wilson, dated January 16, 1936, both from the National Archives.
120.  from Bureau of Pensions form completed by Kirkman on April 6, 1915.
121.  from genealogical research conducted by Roland and Maxine Benjamin.
122.  from Declaration for Pension form signed by Kirkman on May 16, 1907.
123.  from various pension forms obtained from the National Archives.
124-A.  This story was confirmed by affidavits filed by two other persons, William King (who also served in Co. K) and Nicholas Hoffman on the 23rd of December, 1902, evidently for a pension claim.
124-B.  from personal visit to Cottonwood Cemetery on Memorial Day weekend, 1992.
125.  from genealogical research conducted by Roland and Maxine Benjamin.
126.  Ibid.
127.  Bentley, pp. 391-392, 396.
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. Continue to Appendix A .
.  Return to Table of Contents .
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Last Updated: September 5, 2005