Henry V. (Henry Van) Boynton

Born in 1835 and dying in 1905, Henry Van Ness Boynton was an American soldier, journalist, and author whose public life stretched from the Civil War into the early 20th century. He served in the Union Army, was wounded at Chickamauga, and later received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Missionary Ridge.

After the war, he became well known as a Washington journalist and commentator on military affairs. He also wrote extensively about the Civil War, especially the Army of the Cumberland, drawing on his own service and his long interest in preserving the history of the conflict.

Boynton is also associated with battlefield preservation, particularly at Chickamauga and Chattanooga, where he played an important role in commemorating and interpreting the war for later generations. For listeners interested in memoir, military history, and the making of Civil War memory, his work comes from someone who was both a participant and a chronicler.