Benjamin Franklin Dill (1814-1866) was one of the most wanted Confederates during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. As editor of the pro-Confederate ''Memphis Appeal'', Dill's moniker was "The Greatest Rebel of them All." General

Ulysses Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as commanding general, Grant led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War ...

and General

William T. Sherman William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

chased Dill "across four states, yet they could not silence the 'Voice of the Confederacy.'" Dill's newspaper, ''The Memphis Appeal'' was the most notorious during the

. Upon threat of being captured in Memphis, on June 6, 1862, the presses and plates were loaded into a

boxcar A boxcar is the North American (Association of American Railroads, AAR) and South Australian Railways term for a Railroad car#Freight cars, railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simpl ...

and moved to

Grenada, Mississippi Grenada () is a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1836, the population was 13,092 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grenada County, Mississippi, Gre ...

. When that region was threatened, the ''Appeal'' journeyed to

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

, then

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, ...

, then

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, then

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

. When General James H. Wilson's Raid approached Montgomery, Dill took his operation to

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

. When General James H. Wilson captured Columbus on April 16, 1865, his men finally captured Dill and the ''Appeal''. General James H. Wilson remarked, ""Have we caught the old fox at last? Well I'll be damned!". Publication resumed in Memphis on November 5, 1865. Dill died two months later.

References

Barbara G. Ellis, ''The Moving Appeal'' (Mercer University Press, 2003).R.A. Halley, "A Rebel Newspaper's War Story," ''American Historical Magazine''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dill, Benjamin 1814 births 1866 deaths American newspaper editors