![Benson John Lossing](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Benson_John_Lossing.jpg)
Benson John Lossing (February 12, 1813 – June 3, 1891) was a prolific and popular American historian, known best for his illustrated books on the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
and
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
and features in ''
Harper's Magazine
''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...
''. He was a charter trustee of
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...
.
Early life
Lossing was born February 12, 1813 in
Beekman, New York
Beekman is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. It is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY- NJ- CT- PA Combined Statistical Ar ...
.
His father John was descended of old Dutch stock, originally surnamed Lassing or Lassingh, who had been among the earliest settlers of the
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...
. His mother, Miriam Dorland Lossing was a
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
. His formal education was curtailed when he was orphaned in 1824. Soon thereafter, he moved to
Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
to serve as apprentice to Adam Henderson, clock and watchmaker and silversmith. During his apprenticeship he read a number of history books, and over a period of several years pursued an independent study.
[''American Authors 1600-1900'', 1938] He became interested in history after reading
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English historian, writer, and member of parliament. His most important work, ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788, is k ...
's ''Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'',
John Marshall
John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...
's ''The Life of George Washington'', and the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
.
[Power, J. Tracy. "Benson J. Lossing (12 February 1813-3 June 1891," in Clyde N. Wilson (ed.), ''American Historians, 1607-1865'', ]Dictionary of Literary Biography
The ''Dictionary of Literary Biography'' is a specialist biographical dictionary dedicated to literature. Published by Gale, the 375-volume setRogers, 106. covers a wide variety of literary topics, periods, and genres, with a focus on American an ...
Vol. 30, Detroit: Gale Research, 1984, 164. By 1833, Lossing and Henderson had formed a partnership.
Career
![Benson John Lossing (by Thomas Seir Cummings)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Benson_John_Lossing_%28by_Thomas_Seir_Cummings%29.jpg)
In 1835, Lossing became part owner and editor of the Poughkeepsie ''Telegraph''. Out of that publication grew a semi-monthly literary paper, the ''
Poughkeepsie Casket''. Lossing began to learn the art of
wood engraving
Wood engraving is a printmaking technique, in which an artist works an image or ''matrix'' of images into a block of wood. Functionally a variety of woodcut, it uses relief printing, where the artist applies ink to the face of the block and ...
from J. A. Adams, illustrator for the paper.
In 1838, Lossing moved to New York City seeking greater opportunity as a journalist and illustrator. He edited and illustrated J.S. Rothchild's weekly ''Family Magazine'' from 1839 to 1841 and launched his literary career with the publication of his ''Outline of the History of Fine Arts''.
In 1846, he joined William Barritt in a wood engraving business that became one of the largest of such firms in New York. His illustrations appeared in the
New-York ''Mirror'' and several other periodicals. During this time, Lossing sat for a portrait by
Thomas Seir Cummings (1804–1894), now in the collection of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, New York City.
Around 1848, Lossing conceived the idea of writing a narrative sketchbook on the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
. The first installment was published in ''
Harper's New Monthly Magazine
''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...
'' in 1850; the completed ''Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution'' was published in 1853. To gather material for the work, Lossing traveled some 8,000 miles throughout the United States and Canada. As with his subsequent books, his pen and ink drawings served as the primary illustrations when turned into wood cuts. The book won him critical acclaim and general reputation. During and after the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, Lossing toured the United States and the once Confederacy. On the basis of that research, he published a three-volume pictorial field book/history of the war, which is also presumed to have been
Mathew Brady
Mathew B. Brady ( – January 15, 1896) was one of the earliest photographers in American history. Best known for his scenes of the American Civil War, Civil War, he studied under inventor Samuel Morse, who pioneered the daguerreotype technique ...
's first collaboration in the use of his Civil War photographs as book illustrations. In 1860 and 1861, the London Art Journal featured a series of Lossing's articles describing the history and scenery of the Hudson Valley; the illustrated articles were published in 1866 under the title ''The Hudson: From the Wilderness to the Sea''. Lossing was elected a member of the
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...
in 1872. He was awarded an
LL.D.
Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...
by the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
in 1873, adding to lesser degrees previously awarded him by Hamilton College and Columbia University. He also worked with engraver and book publisher
George Edward Perine
George Edward Perine (July 9, 1837 – February 3, 1885) was a noted artist, engraver, and publisher. In 1852, he began engraving for Thomas Doney in New York and in 1856-1858 for W.W. Rice, a line and bank-note engraver. He engraved in mezz ...
, most notably on his "History of New York City" (1884).
Historian
Lossing's significance as a historian derives from his diligence in seeking out primary records, his interviews with participants of events and intimates of his biographical subjects, and his care to weigh and contrast details of his various sources. Although such efforts are today a standard among historians, in Lossing's time they were not. Historiography was not yet a discipline.
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...
, with whom he corresponded, wrote, "I have been gratified at finding how scrupulously attentive you have been to accuracy to facts, which is so essential in writings of an historical nature." This made him an essential secondary source for contemporary and succeeding historians, such as Theodore Roosevelt in his ''
The Naval War of 1812
''The Naval War of 1812'' is Theodore Roosevelt's first book, published in 1882. It covers the naval battles and technology used during the War of 1812. It is considered a seminal work in its field, and had a massive impact on the formation of ...
''.
Personal life
On June 18, 1833, Lossing married his first wife, Alice Barrit, who died in 1855. On November 18, 1856, Lossing married his second wife, Helen Sweet. In 1868, the Lossings moved to a manor in
Dover, New York
Dover is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 8,415 at the 2020 census. The town was named after Dover in England, the home town of an early settler.
The town of Dover is located on the eastern boundary of the c ...
, that Helen had inherited from her family; they called this The Ridge, but by later custom it has come to be known as Lossing Manor. There Benson had built a fireproof library to house his collection of over five thousand books and documents associated with the American Revolution and the framing of the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
. Lossing was actively involved in charitable, civic, literary, and historical societies, most notably serving as a charter trustee of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie. He died at home in
Dover Plains, New York
Dover Plains is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 1,323 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area.
D ...
on June 3, 1891.
[ A written reminiscence of the Lossing family and life in 19th century New York was assembled by his son, Thomas Sweet Lossing; edited by his great-nephew, Peter Hannaford, it was published as ''My Heart Goes Home'' in 1997 (Purple Mountain Press, Fleischmanns, New York).
]
Works
Among the over 40 books Benson Lossing authored:
* ''Outline of the History of the Fine Arts'' (1840)
* ''Seventeen Hundred and Seventy-Six or the War of Independence; A History of the Anglo - Americans from the period of the Union of the Colonies against the French to the inauguration of Washington the First President of the United States of America'' (1847; 1852)
* ''Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of American Independence'' (1848)
* ''Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
'' (1850–1852)
* ''A Primary History of the United States for Schools and Families'' (1857, revised 1866)
* ''Life of Washington: A Biography Personal, Military, Political'' (1860)
* ''The Life and Times of Philip Schuyler
Philip John Schuyler (; November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler.
Born in Alba ...
'' (1860; revised, 1880)
* ''The Hudson
Hudson may refer to:
People
* Hudson (given name)
* Hudson (surname)
* Henry Hudson, English explorer
* Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back
* Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...
from the Wilderness to the Sea'' (1866)
* ''Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War'' (1866–1869)
* ''Vassar College and its Founder'' (1867)
* ''History of The United States'' (1867)
* ''Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
'' (1868)
* ''Mount Vernon & Its Associations'' (1859) and other editions titled ''Mount Vernon, or the Home of Washington''
* ''Washington and the American Republic'' (1870)
* ''Memoir of Lieut. Col. John T. Greble'' (1870) (private printing)
* ''A History of England, Political, Military, And Social from the Earliest Times to the Present'' (1871)
* ''Our Country: A Household History of the United States for all Readers, From the Discovery of America to the Present Time'' (1873)
* ''The American Centenary'' (1876)
* ''History of American Industries & Arts'' (1878)
* ''Story of the United States Navy for Boys'' (1881)
* ''Cyclopœdia of United States History'' (1881)
* ''New history of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent to ... Inauguration of ... Chester A. Arthur: For all Readers'' (1881)
* ''Biography of James Garfield'' (1882)
* ''Lossing's School History of the United States'' (1883)
* ''History of New York City'' (1884)
* ''Mary and Martha: The Mother and Wife of George Washington'' (1886)
* ''The Empire State, a Compendious History of the Commonwealth of New York'' (1888)
* ''Reflections of Rebellion: Hours With the Living Men and Women of the Revolution; A Pilgrimage'' (1889)
He co-authored, edited or collaborated in the following works:
* ''The Diary of George Washington, from 1789 to 1791'' (1860)
* with Anna Seward: ''The Two Spies: Nathan Hale & John Andre'' (1886)
* with George Jotham Hagar, John Elliot Read and Alfred Hudson Guernsey: ''The Achievements of Four Centuries, or the Wonderful Story of Our Great Continent ...'' (1890)
Published posthumously were:
* ''The Progress of Four Hundred Years in The Great Republic of the West'' (1890)
* ''Lossing's Complete History of the United States'' (1896) Edition De Luxe. Limited to five Hundred copies of which this is No. (?) Lossing History Company, Nineteen Hundred and Five. Over seven Hundred Illustrations by Felix O.C. Darley and other well known Artists.
* Special Notice: Any Person using any of the illustrations in this book without permission of the publishers will be prosecuted-L.P. Co.
* with John Frederick Schroeder and E. C. Towne: ''The Life and Times of George Washington'' (1903)
* ''Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
''Harper's Encyclopædia of United States History'' was published by Harper & Brothers in 1901 and 1905, and again later in 1915. Notably, it contains a preface, titled ''The Significance of American History'', written by future president Woodrow ...
from 458 A.D to 1909. Based Upon the Plan of Benson John Lossing'' (1909). This 10-volume set included contributions from Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
and Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan (; September 27, 1840 – December 1, 1914) was a United States naval officer and historian, whom John Keegan called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His book '' The Influence of Sea Power ...
.
See also
* John Clement Fitzpatrick
John Clement Fitzpatrick (August 10, 1876 – February 10, 1940) was an archivist and an early American historian, widely regarded as an authority on George Washington. He was noted for his groundbreaking work editing Washington's diaries and many ...
— archivist of early American history and George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
papers
* William Wright Abbot
William Wright Abbot III (May 20, 1922August 31, 2009) was an American archivist and historian, widely noted for his work compiling and editing The Washington Papers. After his undergraduate study, he joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacifi ...
— archivist of early American history and George Washington papers
References
Attribution
*
External links
Biography
*
*
* — Lossing among trustees, has a dictionary-style biography of him.
* Baxter, Katherine Schuyler. ''A Godchild of Washington''. F.T. Neely, 1897 — New York (State.) Appendix includes letter from Helen S. Lossing, giving a biographical sketch of her father
Collections
* — Includes biography.
* — Includes biography.
*
Works online
*
*
* — Including:
**''The pictorial field-book of the revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
; or, illustrations, by pen and pencil, of the history, biography, scenery, relics, and traditions of the war for independence'', Vol. I/II (1851–1852)
**''The pictorial field-book of the war of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
; or, illustrations, by pen and pencil, of the history, biography, scenery, relics, and traditions of the last war for American independence'' (1868/1896)
*
:Offering alternative download formats:
*
*
Aspects
* — Miniature portrait (9.8 × 6.9 cm) by Thomas Seir Cummings in watercolor on ivory, ca. 1835.
* — Has biographical details about Lossing and shows engravings from
* — Article preview; full view: — Lossing library estate sale.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lossing, Benson John
1813 births
1891 deaths
American engravers
American publishers (people)
Historians of the American Civil War
Historians of the United States
University of Michigan Law School alumni
Members of the Vassar College Board of Trustees
People from Beekman, New York
American antiquarians
19th-century American historians
Writers from Poughkeepsie, New York
People from Dover, New York
19th-century American journalists
American male journalists
Journalists from New York (state)
19th-century antiquarians
Members of the American Antiquarian Society
19th-century American male writers
Historians from New York (state)
19th-century American businesspeople