The Little Drummer Boy

[L Verge]

We're not talking Christmas with this one. We have all likely heard of the Little Drummer Boy of the Civil War. I have never tracked down the facts (or lack of) behind this story, but a friend just sent me the following blurb about him:

In May of 1861, 9 year old John Lincoln "Johnny" Clem ran away from his home in Newark, Ohio, to join the Union Army, but found the Army was not interested in signing on a 9 year old boy when the commander of the 3rd Ohio Regiment told him he "wasn't enlisting infants," and turned him down. Clem tried the 22nd Michigan Regiment next, and its commander told him the same. Determined, Clem tagged after the regiment, acted out the role of a drummer boy, and was allowed to remain. Though still not regularly enrolled, he performed camp duties and received a soldier's pay of $13 a month, a sum collected and donated by the regiment's officers.

The next April, at Shiloh, Clem's drum was smashed by an artillery round and he became a minor news item as "Johnny Shiloh, The Smallest Drummer". A year later, at the Battle Of Chickamauga, he rode an artillery caisson to the front and wielded a musket trimmed to his size. In one of the Union retreats, a Confederate officer ran after the cannon Clem rode with, and yelled, "Surrender you damned little Yankee!" Johnny shot him dead. This pluck won for Clem national attention and the name "Drummer Boy of Chickamauga."

Clem stayed with the Army through the war, served as a courier, and was wounded twice. Between Shiloh and Chickamauga he was regularly enrolled in the service, began receiving his own pay, and was soon-after promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He was only 12 years old.

After the Civil War he tried to enter West Point but was turned down because of his slim education. A personal appeal to President Ulysses S. Grant, his commanding general at Shiloh, won him a 2nd Lieutenant's appointment in the Regular Army on 18 December 1871, and in 1903 he attained the rank of Colonel and served as Assistant Quartermaster General. He retired from the Army as a Major General in 1916, having served an astounding 55 years.

General Clem died in San Antonio, Texas on 13 May 1937, exactly 3 months shy of his 86th birthday, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

See the source image - sorry, could not cut and paste, but will send to Roger to see if he can. I bet that Steve can chime in here also to verify the information.

[Steve]

I'm on it Laurie. But, I'll be busy this week, so I don't know exactly when I'll have the free time to.
In the meantime, here's an article I found:

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/20...ys-of-war/

[GustD45]

I did find this on American Battlefield Trust's website. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biogr.../john-clem

[RJNorton]

(12-09-2018 04:11 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I bet that Steve can chime in here also to verify the information.

A correct prediction, Laurie! Many thanks to Steve for sending these articles on John Clem. The first is from the 10 Dec. 1863 Cleveland Plain Dealer (reprinted from the Cincinnati Times). The second is from page five of the 08 Feb. 1864 Cleveland Leader. The third one is from page two of the 30 July 1870 Cleveland Plain Dealer.

[Steve]

In the order Roger posted them, the 1870 article is in the middle and the 1864 article is at the end.

[L Verge]

(12-10-2018 04:50 PM)Steve Wrote:  In the order Roger posted them, the 1870 article is in the middle and the 1864 article is at the end.

Many thanks to each. I feel an article coming on for the Surratt Courier -- anyone want to write it?

[GustD45]

(12-10-2018 05:00 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(12-10-2018 04:50 PM)Steve Wrote:  In the order Roger posted them, the 1870 article is in the middle and the 1864 article is at the end.

Many thanks to each. I feel an article coming on for the Surratt Courier -- anyone want to write it?

Ummm *sheepishly raises my hand ------and points it at Steve*

[RJNorton]

Thanks to Steve for sending this article. Steve writes, "I found a 04 July 1914 article by the magazine The Outlook by John L. Clem (or his ghostwriter).

[Steve]

With the Clem account added I feel as though I should clarify a few things that got muddled in his later recollection:

1. The defense of Cincinnati occurred in September 1862, not 1861:

http://civilwaref.blogspot.com/2013/09/d...-1-13.html

2. According to Clem's mother grave marker, she died on 02 August 1861 - four months after the Battle of Shiloh:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43771691

3. According to Clem's military record he officially joined the 22nd Michigan in May 1863, not May 1862. Also the 22nd Michigan wasn't created/mustered in until August 1862.

So, that would mean Clem had just turned 11 when he unofficially joined the 22nd Michigan. The 3rd Ohio was elsewhere and could not have been the unit he first tried to join. The 103rd Ohio took a train in Cleveland on the night of 03 Sept. 1862 arriving in Cincinnati the next day to join in the defense:

https://archive.org/details/personalremi.../page/n171

I don't know if the 103rd's train passed through Newark, Ohio, though. I suppose young Clem could've hopped on a train to Columbus, Ohio and tried to join one of the other Ohio units mustering there and failing that, jumped on their train ride to Cincinnati.

As for the Colonel/field officer on a horse he shot and wounded at Chickamauga, my two guesses based on the 22nd Michigan's location in the battle are

1. Major William H. Mynhier of the 5th Kentucky who was shot in the thigh about an inch from his hip and took until Feb. 1864 to recover from his wound.

       

2. Colonel John H. Kelly, who while not wounded had his horse shot out from under him:

https://archive.org/details/alabamahisto...nt/page/66

GustD45, I guess thanks for the Surratt Courier article writing suggestion... but I still think there's a little to much uncertainty to write a good article just yet.