Show saved bv am nn FACT that the draft law under which the united states Is now rals ing its armies placed the minimum age of men to be included in the draft at twenty one years has called attention to the extreme youth of the men who made up the forces that fought and won the civil war it may truthfully be said that the war was won by an army 0 schoolboys the younger generation probably Is not aware of the fact that nearly a million of those who carried muskets on behalf of the federal cause were less than sixteen years of age when they enlisted statistics show that there were exactly boys under that age in the federal army there were under eighteen eara of age and of the total enlistments of 2 there were under twenty one years of age not only were the great majority of privates less than twenty one years of age but the records show that companies regiments and brigades were corn banded literally by schoolboys at the close of the war it Is said it was the exception to find a brigade or division commander who was more than thirty years old brig gen john L clem Is generally credited with being the youngest soun gest soldier on record he was born in newark 0 august he was not quite ten years old when he entered the volunteer as a drummer at the beginning of the war two years later when he was still not quite twelve years old he was regularly enlisted and took his place in the ranks he was made a sergeant for bravery displayed in the battle of chickamauga and served until the close of the war he returned to school when the war ended and graduated from the newark high school in 1871 he was ed a second lieutenant in the regular army and remained in the regular service until 1915 when be was retired with the rank of brigadier general among the heroes who were awarded the con gres lonal medal of honor tor valor shown upon the field of battle there were many who were mere children A veteran officer of the federal army writing in the I 1 public ledger recalled some interesting history connected with some of these youthful heroes the writer gave the following account of some of these unusual cases robinson B murphy was born may 11 1849 he enlisted as musician at the beginning of the war and the official statement of the action for which he gained his congress medal reads at atlanta ga july being orderly to the brigade commander he voluntarily led two regiments as re into line of battle where he had bis horse shot from under him he enlisted august C 1862 at the age of tw elve years two months and twenty four days in the one hundred twenty seventh illinois volunteer infantry and was made orderly to the colonel of the regiment in january he was made or derly to gen J A J lightburn and participated in several hard fought battles in the army he was known as bob W hen he performed the wonder ful teat that gained hani the modal he was only fifteen sears old the circumstances under young murphy led two regiments into battle were as follows the division in which general lightburn corn banded was that day on the extreme right of the army was being flanked by the enemy young murphy was bent to the right by his general to find out the situation and finding that the enemy had flanked the right wing and was driving them he rode on alg pony down the line and met general login who commanded that day and begged him with tears in his eyes tor re enforce ments telling him they were cutting our right all to pieces the general replied 1 I hae ordered re from the left and here they come now and it ion know they are needed bob show them in and eliat Is how he came to lead the two regiments that day general lightburn wrote regarding bob tl at he was not only brave and faithful but displayed remarkable judgment for one of his age as I 1 soon found out I 1 could depend on him under any circumstances that might arise and here Is another very little chap who gained bis medal orion P howe born december 29 1848 he enlisted early in the war and was wounded at and three times at dallas ga his rec 01 d Is a brilliant one and general sharman tells the fedory n a letter of august 8 headquarters fifteenth army corps camp on black river august 8 1803 hon E stanton secretary of war sir I 1 take alie liberty of asking through you that something be done for a lad named orion P howe of W alio belongs to the I 1 itty fifth illinois but at present la home wounded I 1 think lie is too young for west point but would be the very thing for a midshipman when the as ault nt was at its height on the loli of mi and I 1 was in front the road which formed my line of attack blits einung lad came up to me wounded and bielins bIell ns with n good healthy boy general sherman send mine cartridges to colonel the men ure nearly nil out what s the m boy aliey achot me in UK leg sir but I 1 can jo to the hospital send the jf acier cuir cartridges right away even where he stood tho shot fell thick and I 1 told him to go to the rear at once I 1 would attend to the cartridges and off he limped just before he disappeared on the hill he turned and called as loud as he could caliber sa I 1 have not seen the lad since and his colonel malmburg on inquiry gives me the address above and says he Is a bright intelligent boy with a fair preliminary education what arrested my atten alon then was and what renewed my memory of the fact now Is that one so young carrying a musket ball through his leg should have found hla way to me on that fatal spot and delivered bu message not forgetting the very important part of the caliber of his musket 54 which you know 1 an unusual one warrant that the boy has la him the elements of a man and I 1 commend him to the government as one worth the care of one of the national institutions I 1 am with respect tour obedient servant W T major general commanding when the poet george II 11 boker learned of the episode of young biow e he put the story in v erse john cook too gained a medal of honor when a mere child he was born in ohio august 10 1847 and enlisted in battery B bourth united states at the breaking out of the war he was serving as bugler at antietam Antle tam and certainly did enough to merit his medal the boy distinguished himself at antietam Antle tam and in every fight in which the command was engaged at antietam Antle tam the battery was knocked to piece losing about BO per cent of the men killed or wounded camp bell fell severely wounded and young cook assisted him to the rear quickly returning to the firing line where seeing nearly all the men down and not enough left to man the guns the little fel low a pouch of ammunition from the body of a dead gunner who was lying near one of the chaissons caissons cais sons ran forward with it and acted as gun ner until the end of the fight J C julius langbeen ln was a very small boy andied when at the battle of camden north carolina april 15 he won his congress medal the record states that when a drummer bov he voluntarily and under a heavy fire went to the aid of a wounded officer procured pio cured medical aid tor him and aided in carrying him to a place of safety after the bittle he w as granted a short leave of absence to visit his parents and what a thrill of happiness the boy must have felt when he banded his mother a commendatory letter from bis company commander and here Is boy alio wears the congress medal of honor nobly won george D ald man a schoolboy from a mere child in ears when he made his great record and won the medal for distinguished in battle at balnes mills june 27 this battle the sec ond of the dis battles before Illch mond was one of the most disastrous battles of alie civil war wherein I 1 itz porter a ditth army corps was pitted against the three army corps of gen brals I 1 bihl and stonewall jackson brig gen dinael brigade corn posed of the seventeenth and forty fourth new york the thard pennsylvania and six in volunteer olun teer infantry regiments that day occupied the ett line of battlo in the form of a curve with the and I 1 eighty third on the extreme left and resting on the border of swamp here tho brigade was called upon to resist several desperate charges of the anemi during the das which in every instance resulted in defeat of the attacking dorcet it was in this forlorn hope rally eliat then a auth of wn anteen teen in the rinka of company C michigan as a private but borne on the rolls of hla company as a drummer boy himself by ills gumma ailing upon his to on he tolore as he bad done thus betting ah thit was speedily followed by a number of others ana aiu nang the approbation of major welch of his ment who was a witness of the heroic act ue was in the front rank of the charge back upon the enemy and in the almost hand to hand conflict that followed fell severely wounded through the left hip by a mannle ball on the morning of december while the fifth corpa was drawn up in line of battle on stafford heights for orders to cross the itaspa hanock river and enter fredericksburg colonel stockton commanding the third brigade first division called upon the sixteenth michigan for a volunteer to carry the new brigade flag that had lust reached the command aldman but now partially recovered from his wound sprang from the ranks and begged for this duty ills patriotism and fidelity to autv well known to major welch now commanding the regiment won for him the coveted prize much to the chagrin of several other corn rades who valiantly offered their lead ing his brigade on its famous charge up maryes heights in thit terrible slaughter under burnside de ho was again wounded but not so severely as to prevent him from planting the colors within yards of the enemy s line where they remained for 30 hours three days later he proudly bore his flag back across the Rappa hanock marked by a broken shaft and several holes caused by the ene mys missiles during the charge it was in this battle sunday december 14 1802 while the brigado lay all day hugging the ground behind the slight elevation a few yards in front of the enemy momentarily expecting an attack that aldman with a comrade of his own company displayed humanity as well as remark able valor by running the gauntlet through a rail road cut tor canteens of water for the sick anil wounded comrades who could not be removed from the lines this at a time too when the enemy a sharpshooters were so stationed as to command the ground a considerable distance in the rear of the brigade lines it w as this distinguished service of humanity at fredericksburg in the face of a enemy and with almost certain death astar ing him in the face his officers in recommending him for the medal of honor the war department with a full record knowledge of his service from balnes mills to fredericksburg and for reasons best known to itself decided that the medal was earned at the first named battle with continuing merit to the end of his military service perhaps the most dangerous duty that a soldier can be engaged in Is that of scout in a book published after the war and called II ampton and ills cavalry the following definition of a scout Is given the scouts of the army did not constitute a distinct organization but suitable men volunteering tor this duty were detailed from the different commands the position required not only cool ness courage zeal and intelligence but special faculties born in some few men the line of demir catlon between a scout and a spy was at times very defined for as the scouts were usually dressed in enem yi uniforms which they had captured they were by strict military law subject to the of spies if taken within the enemy s lines and they were not without pleasant experiences of that sort undoubtedly one of the most distinguished of this class was archibald hamilton rowand jr who received the medal because of alie endorsement indorsement Indor of general sheridan who knew and appreciated his great services to the cause how and was horn march 0 1845 in ehla an and enlisted june 17 1862 in company K farst west virginia cavalry and served until august 17 ills services were not only remarkable but most v to the cause lie was one of the most daring and most trusted of sherl dan s scouts once while scouting tor averill he wis cap aured but tol such i story to the con federate office s about being a confederate scout with verbal from one distant general to an other that he vas allow ed to depart the first almo he wasi detail d on scout auti his two companions were shot and killed on his next trip ills corn rade and his own horse were killed when they were 18 miles inside of the confederate lines but how ind to dodge the bullets and get back alive vowing at evers jump never to go on cout luti again ue from his flight however ind started ou on another trip alle with sheridan he was asked to locate tho notorious leader maj giemon and it effect his capture several davs hard work he found stopping in a large country near moor field V a athla he reported to who sent cwi wwi him nebout fifteen scouts under colonel youns they dressed la confederate uniforms and fallowes fallowed fall owed bv SOU federal chiv airy at n instance oc several miles to be of assistance in case the true character of the scouts was discovered they arrived near command about dambre ik ind kocand went forward alone and single hand U c the without n shot twins couts the family mansion abul took bed and to sheridan a |