author
B. F. (Benjamin Franklin) Scribner
1825–1900
A soldier, druggist, and memoirist, he wrote vivid first-hand accounts of the Mexican-American War and later served as a Union general during the Civil War. His books stand out for their direct, eyewitness view of camp life and military service in nineteenth-century America.
1 Audiobook
A campaign in Mexico
by B. F. (Benjamin Franklin) Scribner
About the author
Born in New Albany, Indiana, in 1825, Benjamin Franklin Scribner first gained notice through his service in the Mexican-American War. Archival records describe him as a member of the 2nd Indiana Regiment of Volunteers who took part in the Battle of Buena Vista, and they note that he turned those experiences into published memoirs, including Camp Life of a Volunteer and A Campaign in Mexico.
After returning home, Scribner worked in the drug business in New Albany. During the Civil War, he entered Union service again and became colonel of the 38th Indiana Infantry; later records identify him as a brigadier general. His life joined practical work, military leadership, and writing in a way that was common in his era but still feels striking today.
Scribner is remembered less as a literary celebrity than as a valuable witness to American war experience. His surviving papers and printed memoirs preserve a ground-level view of army life, making his work especially interesting to readers who enjoy history told by someone who was truly there.