By Derek Jensen, President of Historic Bremen, Board Member, Marshall County Historical Society.

Benjamin Shaffer (1844-1912) was an interesting character in Bremen history. His father emigrated to Bremen from Germany and became a wealthy farmer. As a young man, Benjamin served in the Indiana 74th Volunteers (infantry) Company F during the Civil War.

After the war, Shaffer returned to Bremen and took up farming. He later moved to town and became an investor and also assistant town marshall in the 1890s. He was known for his rattlesnake hunting prowess. The Bremen Enquirer of August 25, 1910, states “Benjamin Shaffer killed seven rattlesnakes yesterday about two miles south of town.”

Shaffer was proud of his military service and honoring Bremen’s Civil War soldiers was a point of pride. He belonged to the Grand Old Army of the Republic post in Bremen. Through his efforts, Bremen was awarded a cannon for their cemetery in 1902. Shaffer helped to get the cemetery incorporated in 1903 and was named president of the cemetery association in 1904.

The May 16, 1902, edition of the Bremen Enquirer said: “Benjamin Shaffer, commander of the Hardzog Post G.A.R. of this city, is in receipt of a letter from Senator Beveridge stating that the ordnance bureau has instructed the commanding officer at Ft. McHenry, MD, to turn over to the Post one eight-inch Rodman gun and 20 eight-inch shells. The piece will not be mounted, and transportation charges must be borne by the Post. A carriage will be made for the gun here, and arrangements made for its immediate shipment. It will be mounted in the Bremen cemetery as a monument to the Union soldiers buried in unknown graves. It is a matter of regret that the arrangements could not have been completed in time for Decoration Day.”

The June 13, 1902, the Enquirer stated: “The cannon presented by the government to the Bremen G.A.R.  arrived yesterday morning. Last Friday Mrs. Dr. Smith and Mrs. Marquet circulated a subscription paper and in a short time secured $200 to be used in paying transportation charges and mounting the piece in the cemetery. It will be placed at left of the main driveway, just inside the gate, and mounted on a pyramid of limestone 40 inches high and with a base of 10-1/2 X 12-/2 feet. At each side of the gun will be a small pyramid of shells. The gun is 10-1/2 feet long, 8-inch caliber and weighs about 3 tons.”

The gun was placed in a custom-cast tilting carriage made by the local Holland Radiator foundry, marked with “1902,” at a cost of $15.50. The town was able to celebrate the monument in style on Decoration Day of 1903, and the Women’s Relief Corps draped the cannon in flags for the ceremony.

When he died in 1912, Benjamin Shaffer was buried in the family plot, right next to the cannon. Having been survived by five daughters, his descendants in the area today include Senffs, Ruffs, Stouders and Jensens, including this author.

The Marshall County Historical Society and Museum is located at 123 N. Michigan St., Plymouth. We are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 until 4. We have an unlimited supply of great stories and pictures in our archives!