Benjamin Herndon was born in Carolina County, Virginia on December 10, 1749. He joined the Surry County Regiment of the North Carolina Militia in 1775 and fought as a lieutenant at the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge in 1776. He then served as a captain in the Wilkes County Regiment of the North Carolina Militia under Col. Benjamin Cleveland from 1778 to 1781. After a brief time as a major, he became the colonel of the regiment through the end of the war. He also served as a representative for Wilkes County in the North Carolina House in 1779 and 1785 and in the State Senate from 1785 to 1787. He died in Newberry County, South Carolina on December 30, 1819.