During the American Civil War, he raised a company of men for the 152nd Ohio Infantry, a 100-days regiment, and served as captain from May to September 1864.

In addition to Valentine Anti-Trust Act, Bushnell's attorney general pursued the monopolistic practices of the Standard Oil Company in the courts.

[4] Bushnell came from his home at Springfield in January 1904 to attend the inauguration of Governor Myron T. Herrick at Columbus.

After the ceremony, he entered his carriage to return home, was struck with apoplexy before reaching the railroad station, and died at a Columbus hospital four days later.

[8] He was a member of the Masons, the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Episcopal Church[5] Bushnell and his wife built a Richardson Romanesque mansion in Springfield, Ohio.