| Benjamin Franklin Ficklin |
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Information AboutBenjamin Franklin Ficklin |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FICKLIN | |
| 1827 births | |
| ficklin, benjamin franklin | |
| 1871 deaths | |
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Born in the U.S. State of Virginia in 1827 , Ficklin had a reputation for misbehaving. So in 1845 , his father sent young Ficklin to attend the Virginia Military Institute . As a cadet, Ficklin was known for his pranks, and he often got in trouble for them. One night, he filled a howitzer with gun powder, turned it toward the cadet barracks, and discharged it (Virginia Military Institute Archives, 2005). This action resulted in his suspension in 1846 . With his suspension, Ficklin entered the Army . He ultimately served as a corporal in the Mexican-American War , where he was injured but recovered. Ficklin requested to be readmitted into the corps of cadets at the Virginia Military Institute , and his request was approved. Upon graduation, Ficklin attempted to work as a teacher. Dissatisfied, he sought employment with an express company in Alabama . Later, he worked as a surveyor for varied freight lines. In 1859, Ficklin returned to the express and stage business which now boomed with the western expansion precipitated in the wave of Gold Rush fever. In 1860 , some credit him with the idea of the Pony Express . Yet, William Hepburn Russell , Alexander Majors , and William B. Waddel are more often credited as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express . Ficklin did serve as general manager for the venture, until a disagreement with Russell. Russell allegedly became jealous of Ficklin’s popularity and suspicious of Ficklin’s loyalties. Learning of this, Ficklin immediately resigned. In 1861 , Ficklin joined Jeptha Wade and Hiram Sibley in helping to form the Pacific Telegraph Company . With it, the final link between the east and west coast of the United States of America was made by telegraph. During the Civil War , Ficklin joined the Confederate States Of America ’s war effort in Virginia. He eventually served as a Confederate purchasing agent in Europe and as an intelligence officer. During the war, he achieved some status. In 1864 , he even bought Thomas Jefferson ’s Monticello , but it would be stripped from him after the War Between The States under Reconstruction . In 1865 , Ficklin was sent on a secret peace mission to Washington, DC . While there, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, and Ficklin was arrested. He was cleared of suspicion and released upon his swearing a loyalty oath to the Union . After the Civil War, Major Ficklin opened an express Stagecoach business in Texas . The route served from Fort Smith , Arkansas , to California . He founded a town in Texas to serve his enterprise. After his death, the town was named after him. Today, Ben Ficklin, Texas , is a Ghost Town . REFERENCES
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