Local man's Civil War medal to be displayed in Texas

McCOMB — The Medal of Honor presented to Capt. William Bensinger for his involvement in the Great Locomotive Chase during the Civil War is about to attract a lot of attention. The award — which has been housed at the McComb Public Library since 1974 — is on temporary loan to the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas. Library Director Jane Schaffner and Kathy Abbott, a library volunteer who is also Bensinger's great-great-great-granddaughter, flew with the medal to Texas on Thursday. The museum is a 501c3 educational organization dedicated to safeguarding and celebrating the legacy of the Medal of Honor and its recipients. "I've learned a lot about this medal in getting this ready to go," Schaffner said. "That's just amazing when you think it's from 1863." A native of Wayne County, Bensinger served with the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In late March 1862, he volunteered for hazardous duty as part of what is thought to have been a federal secret service mission. The action became known as the Andrews Raids or the Great Locomotive Chase. Its purpose was to destroy sections of rail line from Atlanta to Chattanooga in preparation for the impending capture of Chattanooga by Union forces. The action would have cut off supplies, re-enforcements and the telegraph lines, according to information provided by the McComb library. The raiders took a locomotive and took it nearly 100 miles before it ran out of fuel. The raders were forced to flee on foot. All were captured. Eight were hanged immediately and the rest, including Bensinger, were jailed by the Confederates. Bensinger was age 22 on the day of the raid. In an escape attempt in October 1862, Bensinger was re-captured. He was paroled on March 17, 1863 with the other raiders. The four members from Hancock County were John Scott, John Reed Porter, Wilson Brown and Bensinger. Scott was among those executed and is buried in the national cemetery at Chattanooga. Porter and Bensinger are buried in Union Cemetery in McComb, and Brown is buried near Duling in Wood County. They were awarded the Medal of Honor, the first time it was ever awarded by the Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, followed by a personal meeting with President Abraham Lincoln. The medal features an eagle with a saber in its talons atop crossed cannons that connects to a red, white and blue ribbon. Inside a five-pointed star is a ring of 34 stars and an illustration of the Roman goddess of war, Minerva. The medal was redesigned in 1904, and Bensinger was also presented with the newer version in 1916, two years before his death at 78. The newer version kept the star shape. The detailed face design was replaced with a portrait of Minerva in a war helmet. Clusters on the star's points became dark green enamel, and a wreath of the same material was added around the outer edge. The eagle on the connector was perched on a bar reading "Valor." The ribbon is blue with white stars. The two medals were gifted to the library by Bensinger's great-granddaughter, Mary Francis Bensinger. "They have been here as long as I have been here," said Schaffner. "And they've always been on display." The case outside her office also displays Confederate currency that Bensinger brought back to Ohio. There's a locket with Bensinger's photograph which may have been given to a loved one while he was away. His sword is also there. Schaffner said she received a phone call early this year from Greg Waters, director of curatorial affairs at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Texas. After his call, she said there was a lot of discussion and information to be gathered. "Once we had all the details and we had a lot of consideration, the board decided that was an opportunity that we couldn't turn down," said Schaffner. "As a staff, as the board, it comes down to this needs to be shared. And what better museum than the National Medal of Honor Museum." She said the first plan was for Waters to come to McComb and pick up the medal. He later offered Schaffner and a second library representative an opportunity to fly out and bring the medal as well as visit the museum at no cost to the library. Since its opening last March, the museum has displayed the Medal of Honor that was awarded to fellow raider Jacob Parrott. Parrott was a private from the 33rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry's Company K and was said to have been the first recipient of the medal. The loan was ending, and the medal — once housed at the Hardin County Historical Museum in Kenton — was being returned to its home at West Point. "They were hoping to secure another medal awarded to a member of the Andrews Raiders to continue to highlight the story, Schaffner explained. Aftter the war, Bensinger returned home and worked as a railway employee in Lima and St. Marys for five years. He married Sarah A. Harris in 1864, and they had one son, Charles H. Bensinger. Schaffner said the library board agreed to a two-year loan of the medal with an option to possibly extend it a year. There was only one other time the medal has been out of the library, she added. In 2012, McComb and the Greater Toledo Civil War Roundtable held a special day in the village to honor the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. "They took it out because they had a Korean War veteran who was a Medal of Honor recipient attend that day. As part of the celebration, the board did approve that the medal could go out there (the school cafeteria) for that celebration," said Schaffner. She said they will also be working with the museum to put together an educational video about Bensinger's medal while it's in Texas. "That way the school students will have the opportunity to see where it went and where it was displayed and the history behind it," she said. It will be strange to not have the medal in the library during the loan period, she acknowledged. But visitors can still view the other items in the Bensinger display. "It's so important we share this with a broader audience," she said. "And what a visionary this museum is to keep this history alive for ages to come, and especially recognizing what this medal stands for with these gentlemen."