Greetings, I am Benson John Lossing, a humble chronicler of American history, renowned for my illustrated works on pivotal events such as the American Revolution and the Civil War. My birth took place on February 12, 1813, in the hamlet of Beekman, nestled within the state of New York. My lineage can be traced back to sturdy Dutch ancestors who settled in the verdant Hudson Valley. Orphaned at a tender age, my thirst for knowledge led me to an apprenticeship in Poughkeepsie under the tutelage of a skilled craftsman. It was during this formative period that my interest in history blossomed, nurtured by the writings of eminent scholars like Edward Gibbon and John Marshall. Thus began my lifelong journey into the annals of the past, seeking to illuminate the deeds and personalities that shaped our nation.