Show Sav j lv J 1 i f a t S Ch ov S e i 1 t 1 4 5 Soldiers Who Served in Federal S 1 16 b Years of Age Aue r 5 tL 4 4 v O as HE FACT that the draft law under un er which the United States Is now rats rats' raising raising rais rais- ing lag Its armies placed the minimum age of men to b be included in the iho draft at twenty-one twenty years has called attention to the extreme youth of o themen the themen e emen men who who made up the forces that fought and won von the Civil war It may truthfully be said that the war was won by an army of school school- boys The younger generation probably Is not not- nw aware re of the fact that nearly a million of those who carried muskets m on behalf behal of f the Federal Fedel c cause s were less than sixteen years of age when they en en- listed Statistics show that there were exactly boys under that age In the Federal army There were under eighteen years of age and of the total enlistments of there were under twenty-one twenty years of age Not only were the great majority of privates privat J less s than twenty-one twenty years of age but the records show that companies regiments and brigades were commanded com mantled 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. L Clem Is generally credited with being the youngest soldier on record He was born in Newark 0 August 13 1851 He was vas not quite ten years old when he entered the volunteer service 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 brav bravery ry displayed In the battle of Chickamauga and served until the close of ot 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 remained re re- In the regular service until 1915 when he was retired with the rank of brigadier general Among the heroes who were awarded the con con- medal of honor for valor shown upon the field of battle there were many who were mere children A veteran officer of the Federal army writing In the Philadelphia Public Ledger recalled some Interesting history connected with some of these youthful heroes The writer gave the followIng following following follow follow- ing account of some of these unusual cases Robinson B. B Murphy was born May 11 1849 He lIe enlisted as musician at the beginning of the war and the official statement of the action for which he gained his congress medal reads reads reads' At Atlanta Ga July 28 1864 being orderly to the brigade commander he voluntarily led two regiments as re into line of battle where he had his horse shot from under him He lie enlisted August 6 1862 at the age of twelve years two months and twenty four days in theOne the theOne One Orie Hundred Twenty-seventh Twenty Illinois Volunteer infantry and and was made orderly to the colonel of the regiment In IIi January 1804 he was made orderly or or- orderly derly darly to Gen J. J A. A J. J Lightburn and participated ted In n several hard-fought hard battles S. S In th the army he was known as Bob When he performed the wonderful wonder ful feat that gained him the medal he was was only fifteen years old The circumstances under which young Murphy led two regiments into battle were vere were as follows The division in which General Lightburn commanded com was that day on the extreme right of the army irmy which was being flanked by the enemy enem Young Murphy was sent to the right by his general to find out the situation and finding that th theene 1 1 my had flanked the right wing and was was' driving them hem he rode on his pony down the line and met General Logan who ho commanded day and begged him with tears t ars In his hl eyes for re enforce ments meats telling hl him they w were r cutting our right allo all to o Q pieces tle e general replied d I 1 have hav ordered re e from the left and here th they y COP come come l. l now now and If you know where they are needed needed Bob show them In And that is how he came to lead the he two regiments that day da General Lightburn wrote regarding Bob Dob that he be was not only brave and faithful but displayed remarkable jud judgment en for one of his age as I 1 soon found out I 1 co ld depend on him under any circumstances that night might arise c And here bere Is another very little chap who gained his ils medal Orion Orlon P. P Howe born December 20 1848 lie le Ie enlisted early in the war and was wo wounded at if and three times at Dallas s Ga HU e ord Is a 0 brilliant one and General Sherman tells the he story In a letter of August 8 S 1863 1563 5 Headquarters Fifteenth Artily Army Corps Camp on Black River August 8 1863 lion E. E Stanton Secretary Secretary Secretary-of of War Sir I tale take the liberty of asking through gh you that hat something be done for a lad named Orion P P. P lowe Howe of Waukegan n Ill who belongs to the Fifty Fifty- fifth Illinois but at present Is home wounded I 1 think pink he Is too young for West Point but would behe bethe be behe he the very thing for a midshipman a When the assault as- as sault ault at VIcksburg was Vaa at its on the of May day and I was In front near the road which formed ormed my line of attack this young lad came cam up to o me mp wounded and bleeding with a good healthy boys boy's toys oy's cr cry General Sherman send some cartridges to o Colonel Malmburg themen are nearly all out What's the matter my boy They shot me in Iho leg sir butI but I can go to the hospital Send the I r Q r r I I 1 N er C C yo eJr Joa ot vrr record cartridges right away Even where he stood the shot fell thick and I told him to go to the rear at once I 1 would attend to the cartridges andoff he limped Just before he disappeared on the th hill hlll he turned and called as loud as he could Caliber 54 I have not seen the lad since and his colonel Malmburg on Inquiry gives me the add address addess ess above and says he Is a bright Intelligent bOY boy with a fair preliminary education What arrested my attention attention atten atten- tion then was was and and what renewed my memory of the fact now Is that Is-that that one 50 so y young ung carrying a musket-ball musket through ugh his leg should have nave found hl his way to m me on that fatal spot and delivered his hiS message not forgetting th the very Important part of ot the caliber of his musket 54 which you know Iian Is Ii Isan an unusual l one Ill I'll warrant warrant that the boy has las In him the elements of a man and I 1 commend him to to the government as s one worth the care of one of the nat national onal Institutions ons I 1 am m with re re- respect respect Your ob obedient servant u W T T. T SHERMAN U Major General Commanding When the poet George H. H Boker learned of the episode of young Howe he put the story In verse verse John Cook too gained a medal of honor when a amere n a amere mere child He was born In Ohio August 30 10 1847 and enlisted In Battery B Fourth United States artillery ry at the breaking out of the war He was serving as bugler at Antietam and certainly did enough to merit his medal The boy distinguished himself at Antietam and andIn In every fight In which the the command was engaged At Antietam the battery battery bat bat- tery was knocked to pieces losing about 50 percent per percent percent cent of the men killed or wounded Captain Campbell Camp bell fell severely wounded and young Cook assisted assisted assisted as as- him hlin to th the rear y returning t to the firing line where seeing nearly all the men down and not enough left to man the guns the little fellow fellow fellow fel fel- low a pouch of ammunition from t tie the body of a dead gunner who was lying near on one one of caissons ran forward with It and acted as a's the Zhe gunner gun gun- gun gunner ner until the end of ot the fight I K L i J Tl Ct f Julius rullus Langbein was a very small boy Indeed when at the battle of Camden North Carolinn Caro Caro- lint linn April 15 1862 1562 he won his con congress ess medal i The official record states that when a drummer drummer boy he voluntarily and under a heavy fire went to the aid of ofa a wounded officer procured medical aid for him and a d aided alde In carrying carr him to a place j of safety ty After fter the battle he lie was yas granted a a 0 short leave of absence to visit his parents and what a 0 thrill o pi happiness ss the I boy oy must have felt when he handed 1 his ls m mother ther u a l commendatory letter from his company COmpany commander And Anal here Is an another ther boy who wears the congress congress con con- gress medal of honor nobly won won George D. D Sidman Sid Sid- man a school schoolboy oy from Michigan a mere child chu i in years when he made his great re ord and won wan the medal for distinguished bravery in battle b at Games gl S brills June 27 1802 1862 This battle the sec sec- second sec second ond and of the ho Seven even Days' Days Battles' Battles before Richmond was was s 's one one ie of the most disastrous battles of the the the- Civil vor ivar war w wherein l FIta Fitz John ohn Porters Porter's Fifth army corps corps was vas was pitted against the three army corps of Generals Gen Gen orals Longstreet Hill and Stonewall Jackson Brig Gen O Gen n Daniel Butterfield's brigade composed composed com com com- po posed d of the he Twelfth Se Seventeenth and Fort fourth Forty fourth New York the third Eighty-third Pennsylvania and SI Sixteenth Sly Six Michigan Volunteer Infantry regiments that day occupied the left line of battle In the form of a curve with the Sixteenth and third Eighty on the c extreme left and resting on the border of swamp Hero Here th the brigade was called upon to resist sever several l desperate charges of the enemy during thc he day which In every Instance re- re resulted resulted re re- suited In defeat of the attacking attack forces it It wis In this forlorn hope rally that Sidman then a youth of seventeen serving in Inthe the ranks of Company C Cr Sixteenth Michigan 1 as fiS a n private but borne on the rolls of his company as a n drummer boy distinguished himself by waving his gun and calling upon upon I his ls comrades to rally on the colors as ashe ashe ashe he had done thus setting an example that way weI we we- I I speedily followed by a number of others and win ping the approbation of Major Welch of his regiment rear regi ment meat who was a witness of the heroic act ct He was In the front rank of the charge back upon the enemy and In the almost to hand-to-hand conflict that followed fell severely wounded through the left hip by a minnie ballOn ball ballOn On the morning of December 13 1862 while the Fifth c corps was drawn up in In line of battle on Stafford Stafford Staf ford heights waiting for orders to cross the Rappa Rappa- hanock river rider and enter Fredericksburg Colonel Stockton commanding the Third brigade First division n called upon the Sixteenth Michigan for a volunteer to carry the new brigade flag that had Just reached tI the co command mand Sidman but now par par- partially partially recovered from his wound sprang from the ranks and begged for this duty His patriotism and fidelity to duty well known to Major Welch now commanding the regiment won for him the coveted covet ed prize much to the chagrin of of's several other comrades com rades redes who valiantly offered their services Leading LeadIng Leading Lead- Lead Ing his brigade on Its famous charge harge up Marye's Maryes heights In that terrible slaughter under Burnside he was again wounded but not so severely as to prevent him from planting the colors within yards of th the enemy enemy's s line where they remained for 30 hours Three Thre days later he proudly bore his flag back across the ck marked by a broken shaft and sev several ral holes caused by the enemy's enemy's enemy's ene ene- mys my's missiles during the charge It was In this battle Sunday December 14 1862 while the brigade lay all day hugging the ground behind the slight elevation a few yards In front of the enemy mom momentarily expecting an attack that Sidman with a comrade of his own company displayed humanity as well as remarkable remark remark- remarkable able valor by running the gauntlet through a railroad railroad rail rall- road cut bIt for canteens of water for the sick and wounded comrades who could not be removed from the Un lines s this at a time too when the enemy's sharpshooters were so stationed d Cas as as to toi command the ground a considerable distance In the rear of the brigade lines It was this distinguished service of humanity at Fredericksburg In the face of a vigilant en enemy my and with almost certain death starIng staring star star- Ing him In In the face that prompted his officers In recommending him for the medal of honor The war department dep with a a full record knowledge of his s service from Gaines Mills to Fredericksburg and for reasons best known to o It Itself elf decided that the med medal l was earned at the named first-named battle with continuing merit merl to the end of his military service l Perhaps the most dangerous duty that a soldier can be engaged In Is that of s scout out In a book published published pub pub- after the war and called Hampton and His Cavalry the following definition of a scout Is given gl The The scouts of the army army did not constitute a distinct organization but suitable men volunteerIng volunteerIng volunteer- volunteer Ing for this duty were detailed from the different required not only coolness coolness coolness cool cool- co commands mands The position ness courage zeal and Intelligence but special faculties faculties faculties fac fac- born In some few men menThe men The line of f demarcation between a scout and a aspy aspy aspy spy was at times very Ill defined for as the scouts were usually dressed In enemy's uniforms s which they had captured they were by s strict military law subject to the penalty pen of spies if taken within the enemy's lines and they were not without pleas pleasant nt experiences of that sort most distinguished of Undoubtedly one of the this class was was' Archibald Hamilton Rowand Jr who medal Iri dal because of the Indorsement of of General Sheridan who knew and appreciated I his great services Ices to the cause t I Rowand was born March 6 0 1845 in Philadelphia Philadel phia phin Pa Pi and enlisted June 17 1862 in Company I K fi First West Virginia cavalry and served until AugU August t 17 1865 His services were not only rem remarkable re re- m but most valuable to the cause He was one of the most daring daTing and most trusted of Sheri Sheri- Sheridan's Sheridan's dans dan's scouts 0 I Once while scouting for Averill he was captured captured captured cap cap- but told to su such h a plausible story to the Confederate Confederate Confederate Con Con- federate federate officers es about being a 0 Confederate scout with with verbal o orders rs from one distant general to another another another an an- other that he was allowed to depart The first time he was detailed det on scout duty his two companions were shot and und killed On his next trip his come com rade and Ms ads own horse were killed when they were 18 miles mile inside of the Confederate lines but Rowend Rowand Row Row- nu end and managed to dodge the enemy's bullets and get back alive vowing at every jump never to go goon on He lIe soon recovered from his out duty again fright however and started out on another trip While with Sheridan he was asked to locate the notorious partisan leader Maj Harry Gilmore and If possible effect his capture After Alter several days' days hard work worl he be found Gilmore stopping In a large country mansion near Moorfield Moorfield Moor Moor- field W. W Va This he reported to Sheridan who sent w with th him |