Benjamin Jackson (sailor)

Benjamin Jackson
Jackson c. 1903
Born	(1835-01-02)January 2, 1835 Horton Township, Nova Scotia
Died	August 20, 1915(1915-08-20) (aged 80) Lockhartville, Nova Scotia
Resting place	Stoney Hill Cemetery, Lockhartville
Occupation(s)	Sailor, farmer, peddler
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	Union Navy
Service years	1864–1865
Role	Gun captain
Unit	West Gulf Blockading Squadron
Commands held	Gun #10, USS Richmond
Conflict	American Civil War Union blockade Battle of Mobile Bay
Awards	Civil War Campaign Medal

Benjamin Jackson (January 2, 1835 – August 20, 1915) was a Canadian sailor and farmer who was a decorated veteran of the American Civil War. Raised in a small community of Black Nova Scotians, Jackson began his career as a commercial seaman at 16 years old and started a farm in his mid twenties. He served for one year in the Union Navy during the American Civil War, deployed for most of that time in the Union blockade of the Confederate coastline. As a gun captain aboard the USS Richmond, Jackson served in the Battle of Mobile Bay. He also disarmed multiple naval mines and once picked up a live grenade and threw it from the deck of the Richmond, an act that earned him a medal. He suffered a serious hand injury and received a Civil War Campaign Medal. Jackson likely earned a bounty by serving in the place of a drafted US citizen, as well as prize money by capturing multiple blockade runners.

After the war, Jackson lived the rest of his life in Lockhartville, Nova Scotia. Jackson retired from commercial sailing in 1875, but continued managing his 27-acre farm and selling fish, vegetables, and other goods. Jackson earned a Civil War pension for more than 50 years, though he had to navigate the intricacies of the US Pension Office system to maintain and increase payments as he became eligible. His funeral was described as "the largest seen in Lockhartville for many years". Jackson's grave remained unmarked until 2010, when a headstone was unveiled at an event attended by his great-great-granddaughter, Government of Nova Scotia officials, and American Civil War reenactors. As of 1999, one of the eight history markers on the Mathieu Da Costa African Heritage Trail is dedicated to his story. Ben Jackson Road in Hantsport, Nova Scotia, is also named in his honour.