B. F. (Benjamin Franklin) Scribner

Born in New Albany, Indiana, in 1825, Benjamin Franklin Scribner built an unusually varied life. Before the Civil War, he worked as a chemist and druggist and was part of the New Albany firm Scribner and Maginness, while also showing an early interest in military service.

He first saw combat in the Mexican-American War with Company A of the 2nd Indiana Volunteers and took part in the Battle of Buena Vista. He later published memoirs drawn from his wartime experiences, including Camp Life of a Volunteer and A Campaign in Mexico. During the Civil War, he organized the 38th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, served with the Army of the Cumberland, and rose to brevet brigadier general after leading both a regiment and a brigade.

After the war, Scribner returned to civilian life and his pharmacy business, and he also served in federal posts including internal revenue work in Indiana and service as a Treasury agent in Alaska. He died in 1900, remembered both as a Union officer and as a writer whose books preserve a firsthand view of 19th-century American warfare.