Monday, April 13, 2026 |
Photo – Larry and Jane Benjamin in period costume – by Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
A group of historical reenactors gathered in Hanna over the weekend to honor the town’s lone Civil War veteran.
On Saturday, April 11th, the Platte Bridge Company, a Casper-based living‑history organization, recreated a Civil War-style encampment at the Hanna Basin Museum. Roughly 20 members of the 70‑member unit pitched tents, cooked food, and showed off handmade items, all while adhering to authentic Civil War practices.
Hanna Baptist Church Pastor Larry Benjamin, and his wife Jane, spearheaded the event. Benjamin said that after gaining an interest in Civil War‑era history, particularly the 19th‑century American West, he joined the Platte Bridge Company, where his wife was already a member.
Benjamin was dressed as a captain in the Civil War, specifically from 1876. The reenactor said he purchased the majority of his equipment online, with his uniform made in Bar Nunn, outside of Casper.
As part of its historical demonstration, the Platte Bridge Company honored Hanna’s only Civil War veteran, James W. Case. In late summer 1862, at just 15 years old, Case joined the Enrolled Missouri Militia, a home‑guard unit formed to support the Union army. Benjamin said that one year later, on the authority of the state government, Case joined the Missouri State Militia as a cavalryman.
Case and the 9th Missouri State Militia Cavalry carried out anti‑guerrilla operations against pro‑Confederate forces led by “Bloody Bill” Anderson and William Quantrill. From September to October 1864, the unit played a significant role in opposing Confederate General Sterling Price’s large‑scale invasion of Missouri. Case was honorably discharged from military service on July 12th, 1865, four months after General Robert E. Lee’s surrender.
Pastor Larry Benjamin said Case’s unit suffered casualties from battle and disease. The war left many veterans, including Case, with long‑lasting physical and psychological effects.
Case suffered from what was described as a faulty smallpox vaccination in 1864, which resulted in the “enlargement of his bones and corruption of his blood, rendering him unable to labor.” Based on those injuries, Benjamin said Case filed for a government pension in 1880. Ten years later, the Civil War veteran moved to the Elk Mountain area with his wife, Sarah Jane Allen, whom he married in 1866.
According to the 1900 census, Case, then 53, was working as a stockman. He and his wife are listed as having twelve children, with five living: George, 32; James, 24; Hazel, 11; and Alphus, seven.
Benjamin said two years later, Case met the final legal requirements of the Homestead Act of 1862 to gain permanent ownership of his land.
The Homestead Act of 1862 required settlers to live on their land continuously for five years, without abandoning the property for more than six months at a time. They were also required to “improve” their 160‑acre plots, typically by building a permanent dwelling and growing crops or raising livestock.
Benjamin said that, like many homesteaders, Case found it difficult to earn money on his farm, and in November 1906 the family moved to Hanna. Case and his oldest son, George, were then employed by the Union Pacific Coal Company, working in Mine Number One.
On March 28th, 1908, a fire in the mine triggered an explosion, killing 18 men. Benjamin said Case and a coworker were caught in the blast but survived. However, Case’s son, George, went back in to rescue his fellow miners and died in the second explosion.
After the disaster, Case continued working in the mines, with his youngest son, Alphus, joining him in 1910. Case’s second‑oldest son, James, moved his family to a remote homestead north of Hanna. On April 15th, 1917, one month before his 70th birthday, Case died while visiting James’s homestead.
In honor of Hanna’s only Civil War veteran, the Platte Bridge Company simulated firing muskets and a cannon.
Visit the Platte Bridge Company Facebook page for information on joining or hosting Civil War reenactments.
