Benjamin Franklin Ficklin (1827-1871) was a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, Class of 1849. He is famous for his help in starting the Pony Express and for establishing other stage coach and mail routes in the United States during the nineteenth century. Ficklin was also one of the people responsible for the creation of the Pacific Telegraph Company in 1861. The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state military college in the United States. ... Pony Express statue in St. ... A stagecoach is a type of four-wheeled enclosed passenger and/or mail coach, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, widely used before the introduction of railway transport. ... In 1861, Benjamin Franklin Ficklin joined Jeptha Wade and Hiram Sibley in helping to form Pacific Telegraph Company. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

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. Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries â€¢ Politics Portal      A state of the United States is any one of the fifty subnational entities referred to... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Naval Battle of Navarino by Carneray 1827 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state military college in the United States. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

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. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio López de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia Strength 7,000 - 43,000 18,000 - 40,000 Casualties KIA: 1,733 Total dead: 13,283 Wounded: 4,152 25,000 killed or wounded (Mexican government... The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state military college in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²)  - Width 190 miles (306 km)  - Length 330 miles (531 km)  - % water 3. ... A California Gold Rush handbill A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of gold. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Pony Express statue in St. ... William Hepburn Russell: born, January 31, 1812 in Burlington, Vermont - died, September 10, 1872 in Palmyra, Missouri, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddel are often credited as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express. ... Alexander Majors (1814 - 1900) was a U.S. businessman, often credited along with William Hepburn Russell and William B. Waddel as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express. ... William B. Waddel is often credited along with William Hepburn Russell and Alexander Majors as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express. ... Pony Express statue in St. ...

In 1860, the Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860 called for the facilitation of communication between the east and west coasts of the United States of America. Hiram Sibley of the Western Union Telegraph Company won the contract. In 1861, Ficklin joined Hiram Sibley in helping to form the Pacific Telegraph Company of Nebraska. At the same time, Jeptha Wade was asked by Hiram Sibley to consolidate smaller telegraph companies in California. While the Pacific Telegraph Company built west from Omaha, Nebraska, the Overland Telegraph Company of California was thus formed and built east from Carson City, Nebraska. With their connection, the final link between the east and west coast of the United States of America was made by telegraph on October 24, 1861. The First Transcontinental Telegraph would ironically lead to the demise of the Pony Express. The Pacific Telegraph Company and Overland Telegraph Company of California was eventually absorbed into the Western Union Telegraph Company. 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Hiram Sibley (1807-1888) was an industrialist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist originally from Massachusetts, and later Rochester, New York. ... The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... In 1861, Benjamin Franklin Ficklin joined Jeptha Wade and Hiram Sibley in helping to form Pacific Telegraph Company. ... Official language(s) English Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Area  Ranked 16th  - Total 77,421 sq mi (200,520 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 0. ... Jeptha Homer Wade (August 11, 1811-August 9, 1890) was an American industrialist, philanthropist, and founder of Western Union Telegraph. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Nickname: Gateway to the West Location in Nebraska Coordinates: Country United States State Nebraska County Douglas Founded 1854 Incorporated 1857 Mayor Michael Fahey Area    - City 307. ... In 1860, the Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860 called for the facilitation of communication between the east and west coasts of the United States of America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The First Transcontinental Telegraph was a milestone in the formation of the United States. ...

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 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. Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Lincoln, President Ulysses S. Grant, General Jefferson Davis, President Robert E. Lee, General Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery (until 29 May 1861) Richmond (29 May 1861–2 April 1865) Danville (from 3 April 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Government Confederate Republic President Jefferson... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery (until 29 May 1861) Richmond (29 May 1861–2 April 1865) Danville (from 3 April 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Government Confederate Republic President Jefferson... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the six inhabited continents of the Earth. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 N.S. – July 4, 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–1809), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... Thomas Jeffersons Monticello Monticello, located near Charlottesville, Virginia, was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. ... // Reconstruction was a period in United States history, 1862–1877, that resolved the issues of the American Civil War when both the Confederacy and its system of slavery were destroyed. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was an American politician who served as the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ... In this map:  Union states prohibiting slavery  Union territories  Border states on the Union side which allowed slavery  Kansas, which entered and fought with the Union as a free state after the Bleeding Kansas crisis  The Confederacy  Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories During the American Civil War, 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. Buffalo soldiers guard a Concord style stagecoach somewhere in the American West, ca. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Fort Smith is the name of various locations. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,732 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Ben Ficklin, Texas was founded by Benjamin Franklin Ficklin to support his Texas stagecoach operation in the mid-nineteenth century. ... Bannack, Montana, a well preserved ghost town that is now a State Park. ...

References

• Mauer, D.A. (Spring, 1993) Pony Express pioneer left his mark on VMI. VMI Alumni Review. Lexington, VA: VMI Alumni Association.
• Virginia Military Institute Archives, 2005, Electronic Version, http://www.vmi.edu/archives/Alumni/FicklinB1849/FicklinB1849.asp
• Tom Crews, Pony Express Home Station, 2005, http://www.xphomestation.com/bficklin.html
• Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum, Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860, http://cprr.org/Museum/Pacific_Telegraph_Act_1860.html