Benjamin Prentiss

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Benjamin Mayberry Prentiss (November 23, 1819 – February 8, 1901) was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War, rising to the rank of major general.

Prentiss was born in Belleville, Virginia, a direct descendant of Valentine Prentice, who emigrated from England in 1631. His early childhood was spent in Virginia until his family moved near Hannibal, Missouri, eventually moving on to Quincy, Illinois, where he made his home until 1879. In his early life, Prentiss was a rope-maker and served as an auctioneer.

On March 29, 1838, he married Margaret Ann Lodousky; they had seven children before she died in 1860. In 1862, he married Mary Worthington Whitney, who bore him five more children.

Prentiss ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1860. He started the Civil War defending railroad lines in Missouri until ordered to command a division under Ulysses S. Grant. His division was the first one to be attacked at the battle of Shiloh and suffered greatly during the opening hours of the battle. Prentiss then reformed his command, putting up a spirited fight in the famous Hornet's Nest. He was captured along with 2,200 other Union soldiers. He was afterwards considered a hero, having held the Confederate States Army, allowing General Grant time to organize a counterattack and win the battle. Grant would later play down Prentiss' role in the victory, possibly because of mutual dislike between the two generals. After his exchange ,Prentiss was promoted to major general and served on the board that court martialed Fitz John Porter although his dissenting voice in the final vote damaged his political clout. He was sent to Arkansas and won the battle of Helena on July 4, 1863. In 1864, he resigned to tend to his family although historian Ezra J. Warner speculated that he felt, after proving his abilities at Shiloh and Helena, that he was being shelved.

After the Civil War, he became a lawyer and was later appointed to postmaster by President Benjamin Harrison and was re-appointed by President William McKinley. He was a leader in the Republican Party of Missouri.

[edit] References

• Daniel, Larry J., Shiloh: The Battle That Changed the Civil War, Simon & Schuster, 1997, ISBN 0-684-80375-5.
• Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders, Louisiana State University Press, 1964, ISBN 0-8071-0822-7.

http://www.iroots.net/roots/prentice/valentine/ http://www.iroots.net/roots/prentice/