Show I 1 7 ai YS li I 1 A A few reminiscences by soldiers cf of the i WAR OF RE REBELLION BELLION i I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 something to read forre for recreations sake sak I 1 I 1 t I 1 LI mill j I 1 the 1 hoy loy of chien In aliga is known lo 10 0 o bo be I 1 THE HOY ROT holdier 1 in ia the A 7 pew v of the script scrapes I 1 a baioa sillier oat got lat int la in 4 llie the wr 1 THE YOUNGEST 4 0 1 1 I litti little johnny clem the drammer boy ny tf of A vu war i i I 1 I 1 I 1 A recent issue at of the Putt burg disi dur contains an item in winch it I 1 gi kivee ver th abe e name of 0 a man hom it claims to be tile youngest member of the army of 0 the republic Follo whIg is tile note charles F 1 wright krisht of springfield it ho 0 ie is eaid said to bo be the youngest mem br b r rot of the G A it ife ito entered the i service e january 2 ae at a drummer bov boy at the ago age of 13 years eara i A moncia reporter see ing and disbelieving this assertion a as led to make a little investigation and found that it was not true and ilie lie result of his inquiries proved that R ogden can boist boast of being heing the home of I 1 a gentleman who joined the army at a 1 much earlier age thin than the he man men tione cione d in tile he 11 irh captain john L clem elem wai wag only 9 years eare old hen lie first linked ilia ills fortunes I 1 with hope those of the war ir lie ile served 2 years aint before lie was al allone loed 1 to enlist but v was then only 11 years 5 of age join john L lem was born in newark ohio august auguet 13 1831 ile as very ver small tt lien he first offered ins his services services Her vices I 1 as a drummer to captain mcdougah McDo of alie in fn bay 4 1861 on account of hie his small size BIZO and find ten ler years the captain rejected his services bat but johnny was not to I 1 bo be put off ill ii hat that wd way the third ohio was as on its way from newark to the front and took the tram train for cincinnati and our little hero here boarded tho tio trun train when bo he arrived in A 1 cincinnati he lie offered himself for sert vice in tho the twenty twant second michigan regiment ho ile was w also refused there I 1 because of ins ilia aize aize ana years bat ha ile so much pluck and perseverance in ills his efforts that ho lie was allo allowed ed to accompany the regiment to tho the war v ar and in in all its subsequent movements until at length hebell the theng long I 1 in n front aront of shiloh iq irl april 1862 I 1 afore lere johnny by ills soldierly bol Fiol dierly courage and spirit BI in won the of I 1 his ancl in june or july jul m iio 12 0 lie was wag enlist enlisted edat at coinson Coi neon kentucky ai as a drummer boy and I 1 arda served as a marker 1 at shiloh on pittsburg burK landing johnnys johnn drum nas was smashed top eeg by a fragment of 0 sheli r this oc I 1 currence howa 1 s ivert at times as johnny shiloh which cognomen was given riven him as a distinction for ha file Y brae brave fea bearese fe arese floss acts on that boody bloody battle flold at Chit amaus little johnny baying just passed his twelfth year ear was givel the brisk fire of the mu inglet ket instead of tho the long roll of the drum on tho the day of september just when the troops avero ere being formed in fine lino for battle the little I 1 drummer boy m ho was now acting as in arLer could be seen with a short inu musket which had bad been cut off ex pressly for his use seated upon 4 rahsann by tho the eido sido of tho the artillery artiller man inan going I 1 to the fr front mt to fico face the leado deadly storm of lead lie tool took his I 1 position tion in in the ranks fad began blaz ing away close to the ground like a alre ili i tile gailas I 1 at tile close of day the army arm retire retired 1 toward towards Chatta chattanooga moga but the brigade I 1 to chich johny belonged was or areil derel to holi its position it was afterwards surrounded surround gl by tho the reb L elioue tr and demanded to surrender directly diew aly after their charge had been made and repulsed tho the brigade J commenced to retreat but bill johnny i lioe li yi 6 s wera ura not as ion long ag ahme I 1 of big hi fellow soldiers eol diers fell a little bj tip hinti alio fin cust st and tt 4 rebel ib colonel rodo rode up and coi comina ded him I 1 to halt exclaiming ilala surrender i you ou d d little YAnk cas s of a b 11 11 tile rebel officer was riding tiding don aith drawn sword on w little johnny the latte 11 in n ienco to 0 o tho the very polite dummons from abo rebel brought his ills little musket to lis ilia shoulder and blew the top off the colonti colonels s head enst 9 johnny had d performed herfor ned this little piece of perrico for ili his country his brigade was a firel fired inep by the surrounding rebels and he fell as though shot but lumped jumped tip up after darkness came on and made his vay way chattanooga after he nut irest ol 01 the ormy A Y dood so daring performed by one ki is not recorded in in history and the mention of it in the th papers of tho the day was tile he first fiat intimation lil hi 0 family had receded of his file where a bouts luring years absence from home during daring the day at im a u gal 1 1 1 I johnny received three balls through the top of hie his cap for his ilia behavior at chickamauga Chica mauga Johnny wag was made a sergeant by rosecrans who placed plated him upon tho the roll of honor and attached him to the headquarters of the army of lie the cumberland A daughter of chief justice chase also presented to him a silver modal baich was inscribed sergeant johnny clera clem twenty second michigan volunteer infantry from NT 31 C 11 he ito wears it ilia ills grand army medal on his left breast us as a badge of honor it is said bald that when johnny wae was given his commission and informed that lie had been arnado a sergeant he exclaimed what only a sergeant and hero here I 1 vent went end and killed ft a colonel 1 vj icat at chattanooga while detailed to bid in bringing up m alio supply train I 1 from bridgeport ala johnny was captured and kept a for sixty three daye days until he was paroled near tallahass Talla hasso e F ia and bent sent to camp for exchange during his captivity the rebels robbed johnny of his little bul but bullet torn cap call although bo be tried very hard hard to keep it as a momento they algo took from the little chap his ilia jacket and shoes when at length ho be arrived at the union lines general thomas was wag in command of the army of the cumberland the tile general made johnny in an orderly sergeant and 41 ached him to hie ilia stair j in addition to the three bullets received 1 by johnny through his ilia cap at chickamauga chic Chica mauga ho be was struck on tio hip by a piece 0 of o shell and k knocked necked down and was twice struck over by balls upon one ot of the latter occasions ha be wa wan was s in the act of delivering a dispatch to general logan at atlanta from general thomas A ball struck tits pony near the top of hit head ii killing filing him and wound wounding ilig johhny in affie ho shoulder ph besides being at the battles of shiloh and chickamauga Chica mauga johnny J wa was engaged at reer Peer stono itono river Res resaca lica Kente aw reach tree tres creek atlanta nashville and at the other places where the army of tho the cumberland distinguished itself up to the time of lus ilia death federal thomas was johnnys Jolin nys fast friend and correspondent all be the officers and men man of the army of the tile cumberland hold him I 1 if in tho the very highest esteem after serving until the end of the war w ar johnny applied himself to qualifying for fora a at west point when aked a at one time why he laid aside hil iiii drum and took up tile musket be said Be because cauPe I 1 did not ii like iko to 0 stand and bo be shot at without shooting back the world may be searched in vain for one braver or more wearing daring at his years than little johnny clem the drummer boy of chickamauga Chica mauga 11 there are several other th er members anem b ors of ahe lie 0 A II 11 in 0 a who joined thel thc army when very young and a largo large number of all grades and positions among them some sonio of the most prominent soldiers of tho the union army i |