author
B. S. (Benjamin Shroder) Schneck
1806–1874
A 19th-century Reformed minister and editor, he wrote from direct experience and strong conviction. His best-known work preserves a vivid eyewitness account of the burning of Chambersburg during the Civil War.
1 Audiobook
The Burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
by B. S. (Benjamin Shroder) Schneck
About the author
Born in Upper Bern, Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1806, Benjamin Shroder Schneck was educated by his father, a German schoolmaster in Reading. He studied theology and was ordained in 1826 in the German Reformed Church.
Alongside his ministry, he was active in religious publishing and editing, including work connected with German Reformed periodicals. He also wrote in both English and German; works associated with him include Die Deutsche Kanzel, The Burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and Mercersburg Theology Inconsistent with Protestant and Reformed Doctrine.
Today he is remembered chiefly for The Burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, a firsthand Civil War-era account of the 1864 destruction of the town where he lived. He died in Chambersburg in 1874.