author
Benson John Lossing
1813–1891
Best known for richly illustrated histories of the American Revolution and the Civil War, this self-taught writer and engraver helped bring early American history to a wide popular audience. His books mixed research, travel, sketches, and storytelling in a way that made the past feel close at hand.
5 Audiobooks
Washington and the American Republic, Vol. 3.
by Benson John Lossing
Life and Times of Washington, Volume 2 Revised, Enlarged, and Enriched
by John Frederick Schroeder, Benson John Lossing
The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. 2 (of 2) or, Illustrations, by Pen And Pencil, of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for Independence
by Benson John Lossing
The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. 1 (of 2) or, Illustrations, by Pen And Pencil, of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for Independence
by Benson John Lossing
The Two Spies: Nathan Hale and John André
by Benson John Lossing
About the author
Born in Beekman, New York, in 1813, Benson John Lossing built an unusually varied career as a writer, illustrator, engraver, editor, and publisher. Largely self-educated, he first worked in trades and newspapers before turning his artistic skills toward historical writing.
He became especially well known for his large illustrated works on American history, including The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution and later books on the War of 1812 and the Civil War. A big part of his appeal was that he traveled to historic sites, gathered local stories and recollections, and paired them with his own drawings, giving readers a vivid sense of place as well as narrative.
Lossing also contributed to magazines such as Harper's and served as a charter trustee of Vassar College. He died in Dover Plains, New York, in 1891, leaving behind a body of work that shaped how many 19th-century readers pictured the American past.