Bachman served the same Charleston, South Carolina church as pastor for 56 years but still found time to conduct natural history studies that caught the attention of noted bird artist John James Audubon and eminent scientists in England, Europe, and beyond.

His accomplishments span a lifetime punctuated by the unrest of the American Civil War—a conflict that caused him great consternation and may have brought about his premature death due to injuries suffered at the hands of Union soldiers.

The latter, now declared extinct, was recorded in 1832 by Bachman, who presented study skins and descriptions to his friend and collaborator, John James Audubon.

[2] Despite his achievements, Bachman is usually overlooked in accounts of important figures from the 19th century, and he is seldom mentioned in history courses, even in South Carolina schools.

Observe then how he exhibits the bearing of his subject on the "peculiar institutions" of the Southern States:" ... That the negro will remain as he is, unless his form is changed by an amalgamation, which latter is revolting to us.

[4]In a footnote in the second edition of The Races of Men, Robert Knox wrote as follows: I have read with horror the ravings of Mr. John Bachman, a slave-owning parson.