Samuel Nicholl Benjamin

Samuel Nicoll Benjamin (January 3, 1839 May 15, 1886) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor.[1]

Samuel Nicoll Benjamin
Samuel Nicoll Benjamin
Born(1839-01-03)January 3, 1839
New York City
DiedMay 15, 1886(1886-05-15) (aged 47)
Governors Island, New York
Place of burial
Cemetery of Saint Phillip's Church, Garrison, New York
Allegiance United States of America
Union
Service/branch United States Army
Union Army
Years of service1861 - 1886
Rank Major
Brevet Lieutenant Colonel
Commands held2nd U.S. Artillery, Battery E
Chief of Artillery, IX Corps
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War:
  Battle of Blackburn's Ford
  First Battle of Bull Run
  Peninsular Campaign
  Northern Virginia Campaign
  Maryland Campaign
  Battle of Fredericksburg
  Vicksburg Campaign
  East Tennessee Campaign
  Overland Campaign
  Battle of the Wilderness
  Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
AwardsMedal of Honor

Early life

Benjamin was born on January 3, 1839 in New York City. He was the son of William Massena Benjamin (1800–1862) and Sarah Jane (née Turk) Benjamin (1805–1903). His siblings included Edith Massena Benjamin, Sarah Josephine Benjamin Arnold, and Laura Gertrude Benjamin Brooks.

Benjamin graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with the class of 1861.

Career

During the American Civil War, he fought in the Battle of Blackburn's Ford, the First Battle of Bull Run, the Peninsular Campaign, the Northern Virginia Campaign, the Maryland Campaign, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Vicksburg Campaign, the East Tennessee Campaign, and the Overland Campaign, including both the Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.

Following the Civil War, he served at West Point and in the Adjutant General Corps.

Medal of Honor citation

He received his Medal of Honor on June 11, 1877 for his service from Bull Run to Spotsylvania, Va. over the period from July 1861 to May 1864.[1] The citation stated: "Particularly distinguished services as an artillery officer."[2] His rank and organization were First Lieutenant, 2d U.S. Artillery.[2]

Personal life

Benjamin was married to Julia Kean Fish (1841–1908). Julia was the daughter of Governor of New York, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Secretary of State Hamilton Fish (1808–1893) and Julia Ursin Niemcewiez Kean (1816–1887).[lower-alpha 1] She was also the sister of Nicholas Fish II, Hamilton Fish II, and Stuyvesant Fish. Together, they were the parents of:[3]

  • Elizabeth d'Hauteville Benjamin (1871–1884), who died young.
  • William Massena Benjamin (1874–1928),[4] who married Charlotte Hoffman Prime (1881–1969),[5] the great-granddaughter of Nathaniel Prime,[6][7] in 1903.[8]
  • Hamilton Fish Benjamin (1877–1938),[9] a twin who married Emily Low Bacon (1884–1960) in 1909.[lower-alpha 2] They divorced in 1923 and he married Ruth Wolfe (1890–1984),[lower-alpha 3] in 1932.[11]
  • Julian Arnold Benjamin (1877–1953), a twin.

He died on May 15, 1886 while on duty serving in the Department of the East.[12] He is buried in the cemetery of Saint Phillip's church in Garrison, New York.[13]

Descendants

Through his son William,[5] he was the grandfather of Charlotte Prime Benjamin, (1904–2002), who married Richard Morris Carver in 1925;[14] Elizabeth Fish Benjamin (1906–1976), who married William McLane in 1928;[15] Julia Kean Benjamin (1908–1983); William Hoffman Benjamin (1910–1997); Emily Stuyvesant Benjamin (1913–2000); Samuel Nicoll Benjamin (1915–2006); Mary Benjamin; Sarah Morris Benjamin; and Hamilton Fish Benjamin II (1921–1984).[7]

See also

References

Notes
  1. Julia was the sister of John Kean and granddaughter of John Kean and Susan Livingston Kean. Her grandmother Susan married Count Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz after her grandfather's death.
  2. After their divorce in 1923, she remarried to Halstead Camp Lindsley (1880–1945), the former husband of Margaret Ashton Stimson Lindsley, in 1923.
  3. After his death, his widow married Dr. Stuart Neville Michaux (1878–1950) in 1940.[10]
Sources
  1. "Civil War Medal of Honor recipients (A-L)". United States Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
  2. "Benjamin, Samuel N." Home of Heroes. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  3. The World Almanac and Encyclopedia. Press Publishing Company (The New York World). 1905. p. 157. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  4. "W.M. BENJAMIN DIES IN PORTO RICO; New York Real Estate Operator Was on a Cruise in Search of Health. LEFT SHIP FOR HOSPITAL He Was a Prominent Sportsman and a Member of Union Club and St. Nicholas Society". The New York Times. 18 February 1928. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  5. "DIED. | BENJAMIN, Charlotte Hoffman Prime". The New York Times. 20 September 1969. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  6. Hoffman, Eugene Augustus (1899). Genealogy of the Hoffman family : descendants of Martin Hoffman, with biographical notes . New York: Dodd, Mead & Co. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  7. Lawrence, Ruth (1930). Colonial Families of America (PDF). New York: National Americana Society. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  8. "WEDDINGS OF A DAY.; Benjamin--Prime". The New York Times. 12 June 1903. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  9. "H. F. BENJAMIN DIES; NEW YORK BROKER; Senior Member of the Firm of Benjamin & Ferguson--Yale Football Player LONG EXCHANGE GOVERNOR Grandson of Senator Hamilton Fish, Who Was Secretary of State for Grant". The New York Times. 27 October 1938. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  10. "Mrs. Benjamin Is Wed; Bride of Dr. S.N. Michaux in Episcopal Chapel Here". The New York Times. 28 April 1940. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  11. "RUTH WOLFE BRIDE OF H. F. BENJAMIN; Ceremony at Her Home Here Performed by Rev. James G. Watson of Spuyten Duyvil. ONE BRIDAL ATTENDANT Bridegroom, a Descendant of Hamilton Fish, Is a Former Official of the New York Stock Exchange". The New York Times. 19 July 1932. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  12. Service Profile
  13. "Samuel Nicoll Benjamin". Findagrave.com. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  14. "R.M. CARVER WED TO MISS BENJAMIN; Quiet Ceremony Took Place Saturday at St. Philip's in Garrison. KATHERINE HOFFMAN BRIDE Marries Henry Belin 3d in Englewood, N.J. -- Elizabeth Pearson's Nuptials". The New York Times. 30 September 1925. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  15. "MISS E.F. BENJAMIN IS ENGAGED TO WED; She Will Be Bride of W.L. McLane, Grandson of the LateBishop Greer.MISS DU PONT BETROTHEDShe Will Be Married to D.P. Ross--Many Other Easter Engagements Announced". The New York Times. 8 April 1928. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
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