Confederate scout and sharpshooter Berry Greenwood Benson witnessed the first shot fired on Fort Sumter, retreated with Lee's Army to its surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, and missed little of the action in between. This classic account of his wartime service tells of his reconnaissance exploits, battlefield experiences, capture by Union forces, and famous escape from Elmira Prison. A new biographical introduction by historian Edward J. Cashin adds further depth and detail to Benson's own vivid memories. The introduction also offers a fascinating account of both Benson's early years and his postwar activities, including his strong advocacy for impoverished mill strikers and the wrongly accused Leo Frank.
BERRY BENSON (1843-1923) was a scout and sharpshooter in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Among his other wartime exploits, he was captured twice by Union forces—and escaped both times.
HERMAN HATTAWAY is a professor of history at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and coauthor, with Archer Jones, of How the North Won: A Military History of the Civil War.
EDWARD J. CASHIN (1927-2007) was professor emeritus of history and former director of the Center for the Study of Georgia History at Augusta State University. His books include The King's Ranger: Thomas Brown and the American Revolution on the Southern Frontier (Georgia), which won the 1990 Fraunces Tavern Book Award of the American Revolution Round Table, and Lachlan McGillivray, Indian Trader: The Shaping of the Southern Colonial Frontier (Georgia), which won the 1992 Malcolm and Muriel Barrow Bell Award of the Georgia Historical Society.
Berry Benson (Author) BERRY BENSON (1843-1923) was a scout and sharpshooter in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Among his other wartime exploits, he was captured twice by Union forces—and escaped both times.
Susan Williams Benson (Editor) SUSAN WILLIAMS BENSON was a daughter-in-law of Berry Benson.
