Presidential Biographies | Benjamin Harrison Administration - Career

Career

Harrison served as Indianapolis city attorney from 1856 to 1861 and became active in Republican Party affairs, ultimately as secretary of the Indiana Republican State Committee. Capitalizing on his family name and his good record as a public servant, he was elected Supreme Court reporter for Indiana in 1860.

Harrison had been excited by Abraham Lincoln's visit to Indianapolis in 1861 and shared Lincoln's anti-slavery views. He joined the army in July 1862, and helped raise the 70th Regiment of Indiana Volunteers to fight. Appointed its colonel, he spent the majority of his time commanding troops guarding the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Later, his unit served in the offensive in Georgia under William Tecumseh Sherman. Harrison was cited for gallantry following the battles of Resaca (May 14) and Peach Tree Creek (July 20) in 1864. He was made brigadier general on February 23, 1865, shortly before the end of the war....