David Van Buskirk

David Campbell Van Buskirk (November 23, 1826 – August 12, 1886), also spelled as David V. Buskirk, was an American soldier and politician from Bloomington, Indiana, made famous for his great height. He was 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall and weighed roughly 300 lb (136 kg). Dubbed "the biggest Yankee in the world", Van Buskirk is noted by multiple sources as being the tallest man in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Early life David Campbell Van Buskirk was born on November 23, 1826, in Bean Blossom Township near Gosport, Indiana, to parents James Van Buskirk (1796–1874) and Mariah Campbell Van Buskirk (1804–1886), he was the eldest of ten children. The Van Buskirk family was of Scotch-Irish and German ancestry and traces its lineage to Isaac Van Buskirk (1760–1843), a veteran of the American Revolutionary War who settled land in modern-day Monroe County, Indiana, in the 1820s. Van Buskirk's uncle, John Van Buskirk (1792–1846), was a veteran of the War of 1812 and was wounded at the Battle of Tippecanoe. Van Buskirk had a normal upbringing and was well-educated, he later worked his family's farm raising and trading cattle. The Van Buskirk family farm consisted of 450 acres of land near the White River complete with a main house, storage houses, an orchard, and family cemetery. Similar to other large soldiers such as Martin Van Buren Bates, Van Buskirk was noted by many in the regiment for his stature and weight, causing fellow soldiers to affectionately nicknamed him "Big Dave".

According to historian Andrew Martin, 67 of the 101 men in Van Buskirk's original company roster were at least 6 ft (1.82 m) tall, which at the time was considered large. Van Buskirk's Company F was nicknamed the "New Albany Railroad Company" due to the fact that many of the men were previous employees of the Monon Railroad (then called the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railroad). Other nicknames given to the company were the "Monroe County Grenadiers". The company was originally commanded by Captain Peter "Big Pete" Kopp of Bloomington, Indiana who was also a man of large size and stature with Francis Ottwell and David chosen as his Lieutenants. Van Buskirk and the rest of the 27th Indiana fought in the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula campaign as part of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division of General Nathaniel P. Banks's V Corps.

Van Buskirk was captured as a prisoner of war following the First Battle of Winchester on May 25, 1862, and was held in Libby Prison for several months. In 1876 Van Buskirk ran for the office Indiana State Treasurer but was defeated by Benjamin C. Shaw.

Personal life Van Buskirk married three different times during his life and had a total of 8 children. His first wife was Lucy Ann Van Buskirk (1827–1866) who he had six children with. Van Buskirk's second wife was Martha J. Stephenson (1837–1873) who he had two more children with. Van Buskirk's last wife was Mary Stephenson (1830–1912). One of Van Buskirk's 14-year-old sons, David "Scroggy" Campbell Van Buskirk (1850–1931), who was also considered overtly tall, managed to join Company C 115th Indiana Infantry Regiment which saw action at the Battle of Blue Springs in 1863 and the Battle of Walker's Ford in 1864.