Benjamin Henry Grierson
Born: July 8, 1826
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Father: Robert Crittenden Grierson 1789 – 1867
(Buried: Jacksonville East Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois)
Mother: Mary Sheppard 1788 – 1862
(Buried: Jacksonville East Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois)
1st Wife: Alice Kirk 1828 – 1888
(Buried: Jacksonville East Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois)
2nd Wife: Lillian Atwood 1850 – 1914
(Buried: Diamond Grove Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois)
Children:
John Kirk Grierson – 1858
(Buried: Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois)
Colonel Charles Henry Grierson 1855 – 1928
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)
Robert Kirk Grierson 1860 – 1922
(Buried: Jacksonville East Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois)
Edith Clare “Edie” Grierson 1865 – 1878
(Buried: Fairmont Cemetery, San Angelo, Texas)
Benjamin Henry Grierson Jr. 1867 – 1934
(Buried: Jacksonville East Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois)
Theodore MacGregor Grierson 1869 – 1950
(Buried: Jacksonville East Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois)
Mary Louise Grierson 1871 – 1871
(Buried: Jacksonville East Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois)
Education:
Attended Academy in Youngstown, Ohio
Occupation before War:
Afraid of horses since the age of 8 when he was kicked by a horse
Music Teacher and Band Leader in Jacksonville, Illinois
Civil War Career:
1861: Aide to Major General Benjamin M. Prentiss
1861 – 1862: Major of 6th Illinois Cavalry Regiment
1862 – 1863: Colonel of 6th Illinois Cavalry Regiment
1862 – 1863: Served in Skirmishes on railroads and facilities
1862: Served in the Pursuit of Major General Earl Van Dorn
1863: Commander of Grierson’s Raid during Vicksburg Campaign
1863: Helped demoralize Confederates in Louisiana and Mississippi
1863: General Sherman said his raid the most brilliant expedition
1863: Served in the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana
1863 – 1865: Brigadier General of Union Army Volunteers
1864: Cavalry Division Commander in the Meridian Campaign
1864: Cavalry Division Commander at Battle of Brice’s Crossroads
1864: Union Army Commander of Cavalry in Western Tennessee
1864: Cavalry Commander at the Battle of Tupelo, Mississippi
1864 – 1865: Leader of Expedition against Mobile and Ohio Railroad
1864: Captured Forrest’s dismounted camp at Verona, Mississippi
1864: Captured an ad hoc Confederate Force at Egypt Station, Mississippi
1865: Brevetted Major General for his service in the War
1865: Participated in the Capture of Mobile, Alabama
Occupation after War:
1866 – 1890: Colonel, United States Army, 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers
1867 – 1869: United States Army, Commander of Fort Riley
1868 – 1869: United States Army Commander, District Indian Territory
1869 – 1872: United States Army Commander, Post of Camp Wichita
1873 – 1874: Superintendent of U.S. Army Mounted Recruiting Service
1875 – 1878: U.S. Army Commander of Fort Concho, Texas
1878 – 1880: U.S. Army Commander of District of the Pecos
1882: U.S. Army Commander of Fort Davis, Texas
1883: U.S. Army Commander of the Department of Texas
1885 – 1886: U.S. Army Commander of Whipple Barracks
1886 – 1888: U.S. Army Commander of District of New Mexico
1888 – 1890: U.S. Army Commander of Department of Arizona
1890: Brigadier General in United States Army
1890: Retired from United States Army on July 8th
1890 – 1911: Lived Retired at his homes in Illinois and Michigan
1907 – 1911: Suffered from the effects of a Stroke he had in 1907
Died: August 31, 1911
Place of Death: Omena, Michigan
Cause of Death: Debility and paralysis
Age at time of Death: 85 years old
Burial Place: Jacksonville East Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois
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