Benjamin Franklin Hilliker

He Put Down His Drum and Faced Enemy Fire

Benjamin Franklin Hilliker was born on May 23, 1843, in Erie County, New York. He became a Union Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient whose extraordinary courage during the American Civil War earned him national recognition. Serving as a Musician in Company A of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, Hilliker distinguished himself at Mechanicsburg, Mississippi, on June 4, 1863, when he voluntarily exchanged his drum for a rifle, advanced toward Confederate forces, and suffered a devastating head wound while fighting alongside his fellow soldiers.

In 1857, Hilliker moved with his parents to Wisconsin, where he learned the carpenter's trade. His early years were spent preparing for civilian employment before the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861 changed the course of his life.

When President Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers to defend the Union, Hilliker responded by joining the United States Army. In 1861, at eighteen years of age, he enlisted in Company A of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry as a drummer.

Although his duties involved playing the drum to communicate military signals, his official Army rank was Musician. Drummers performed important functions within Civil War regiments, helping communicate orders and maintain coordination during military operations.

The 8th Wisconsin Infantry subsequently participated in Union campaigns throughout the Western Theater. The regiment served under commanders associated with Major General Ulysses S. Grant's operations along the Mississippi River.

In October 1862, the regiment fought at Corinth, Mississippi, where Union forces successfully resisted a major Confederate attack. The following year, the 8th Wisconsin participated in the Vicksburg Campaign, which sought to capture the strategically important Confederate stronghold overlooking the Mississippi River.

By the spring of 1863, Union forces had surrounded Vicksburg, and Confederate troops were attempting to organize operations that might relieve the besieged city.

In early June, elements of the Union Army undertook a reconnaissance expedition under Brigadier General Francis P. Blair Jr. The expedition aimed to locate Confederate forces believed to be gathering under General Joseph E. Johnston.

The operation brought Union troops into the region around Mechanicsburg, Mississippi, where Confederate resistance developed on June 4, 1863.

It was during this engagement that Benjamin Franklin Hilliker performed the action for which he would receive the Medal of Honor.

As Union soldiers encountered a superior Confederate force, additional men were needed to strengthen the forward skirmish line. Hilliker voluntarily set aside his drum, took up a rifle, and moved toward the fighting.

He advanced approximately 120 feet from the Confederate position, placing himself in an exposed location where enemy fire presented an immediate danger.

Hilliker later recalled advancing with fellow soldier John Horton to obtain a clearer view of the Confederate line. As the two men prepared to fire, Horton's rifle discharged, but Hilliker's weapon failed to fire.

While attempting to make his rifle ready again, Hilliker was struck by a Confederate Minié ball.

The bullet passed through his head, entering near the base of his ear and exiting close to his left nostril. The wound was so severe that soldiers nearby believed he would not survive.

Hilliker was removed from the immediate fighting and left in the shade, where his comrades expected his injuries to prove fatal.

Against those expectations, he survived.

His recovery was remarkable given the severity of the wound. Although the injury left him permanently scarred, Hilliker lived for more than five decades after the battle.

The incident became the defining moment of his military career. His willingness to abandon the relative safety of his musical duties and voluntarily join the forward skirmish line demonstrated exceptional courage under enemy fire.

Following his injury, Hilliker underwent a prolonged recovery. The effects of his wound ended his active combat service, and he eventually received a military pension.

After the Civil War, Hilliker returned to civilian life. He married, established a family, and eventually settled in Los Angeles, California.

More than thirty-four years after his courageous actions at Mechanicsburg, Hilliker received formal national recognition.

On December 17, 1897, Benjamin Franklin Hilliker was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism on June 4, 1863.

The decoration recognized his voluntary decision to exchange his drum for a rifle and advance to the front of the skirmish line against a stronger Confederate force. His severe injury and remarkable survival became central elements of the account of his bravery.

The Medal of Honor had been established during the Civil War to recognize exceptional military gallantry. Hilliker's award distinguished him among the soldiers whose courage was formally acknowledged decades after their wartime service.

Hilliker spent his later years in California, where he lived into the early twentieth century.

Benjamin Franklin Hilliker died on October 18, 1916, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of seventy-three. He was buried at Hollywood Cemetery, now known as Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

His military service continued to be remembered long after his death. Through a donation from his descendants, his original Civil War drum and Medal of Honor entered the collection of the Lincoln Memorial Shrine in Redlands, California.

These surviving artifacts preserve a direct connection to his wartime experiences and the extraordinary events at Mechanicsburg.

Benjamin Franklin Hilliker's legacy rests on a remarkable act of personal courage. Although officially serving as a Musician, he voluntarily entered the front line when his fellow soldiers needed additional support. His decision exposed him to enemy fire and resulted in a nearly fatal wound, yet he survived to receive the nation's highest military decoration for valor.

His Medal of Honor and preserved military drum remain enduring reminders of the young Wisconsin soldier who laid aside his instrument, took up a rifle, and demonstrated extraordinary bravery during the American Civil War.