Benjamin C. Truman facts for kids

Benjamin Cummings Truman (born October 25, 1835 – died July 18, 1916) was an American journalist and author. He was especially known as a war correspondent during the American Civil War. He was also an expert on duels. Truman was a very busy person with many different jobs throughout his life.

The New York Times newspaper, where he once worked, described him as someone who did many things. He was a school principal, a writer, a proofreader, and a war correspondent. He also wrote songs and plays. He even worked for President Andrew Johnson and was a major in the army. Truman was also a special agent for the Treasury and Post Office departments. He owned five newspapers and traveled a lot. People knew him as a great storyteller and a man with many friends.

Life and Work

Benjamin Truman was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He went to public school there. Later, he attended a Shaker school in Canterbury, New Hampshire. After teaching for a year, he went back to Providence. There, he learned how to set type for printing.

Early Career in Newspapers

From 1855 to 1859, Truman worked for The New York Times. He was a compositor, which means he arranged type for printing. He was also a proofreader, checking for mistakes. Later, he worked for other newspapers like the Press and the Sunday Morning Chronicle.

Reporting on the Civil War

When the American Civil War started, Truman became a war correspondent. This meant he reported on the war from the battlefield. In 1862, he became an aide to Andrew Johnson. Johnson was the military governor of Tennessee at the time. Truman also worked with Generals James S. Negley, John H. King, and Kenner Garrard.

After the War

After the Civil War, Truman had many different jobs. For a while, he worked for the Post Office Department on the West Coast. Then, he returned to newspaper work. In the 1880s, he started working in public relations. He helped promote the state of California both in the U.S. and in other countries. After the year 1900, he traveled to the Near East as a correspondent.

Truman wrote many books, including some about California's history. He also wrote two plays. However, he is most famous for his work as a Civil War correspondent. He was very energetic and clever. This often helped him get important stories to the newspapers before his rivals. He traveled a lot in the South. He sent many detailed letters to the New York Times. These letters are now important sources of information about the time after the Civil War. This period is called the Reconstruction Era.

His Book on Duels

Truman wrote a book called The Field of Honor in 1884. For this book, he collected stories about important duels in Europe and America. Duels were formal fights, often with weapons, to settle arguments. His book showed the many ways the "code duello" (rules for dueling) was followed. The part of the book about America was later reprinted as Duelling in America.

Truman owned five newspapers during his life. One of them was the San Diego Bulletin. He lived in San Diego for some time. Benjamin Truman passed away on July 18, 1916, in Los Angeles, California.

See also

• List of war correspondents of the American Civil War