author
Benson John Lossing
1813–1891
Best known for turning American history into vivid, image-filled storytelling, this 19th-century writer and illustrator helped generations of readers picture the Revolution and the Civil War. His books blended reporting, sketching, and research in a way that made the past feel close at hand.
5 Audiobooks
Life and Times of Washington, Volume 2 Revised, Enlarged, and Enriched
by John Frederick Schroeder, Benson John Lossing
Washington and the American Republic, Vol. 3.
by 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 became a historian, journalist, engraver, and publisher who was largely self-educated. He first trained in drawing and engraving, skills that shaped the work he would later become famous for.
Lossing is remembered most for his richly illustrated books on American history, especially The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution. He traveled widely, visited historic sites, gathered stories and documents, and often supplied his own drawings, giving his books an energetic, firsthand feel. He also wrote about the Civil War and contributed work to magazines including Harper's.
That mix of artist and historian made his work especially appealing to readers of his time. Though modern historians may use different methods and sources, Lossing remains an important figure in the popular telling of early American history, and his books helped shape how many 19th-century readers imagined the nation's past.