Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-04-26
THE YOUNGEST SOLDIER.
What Confederate is Entitled to Claim
This Honor?


This Honor?
RICHMOND, Va, April %, 1891.
To The Editor ofHte Dispatch:
Under the heading The. Youngest Sol,
der - in to-day's issue of The DISPATCH IT
is queried. Who was the youngest CoDfed-
crate soldier? &c.
Immediately after the issuance of Presi-
dent Lincoln's proclamation calling for
-. 600 troops q company was formed IN
Buckhannon, Upshur county, Va. NOW
West Virginia., by John G. HigSinbotham
called the Upshur Grays. This company
was duly organized by the election of
Higginbotham as captain on the 9Th day
of April. 1861. ] was among the first to
ION and was at the time of the org aniza-
ton sixteen years and three days old.
On the 18th day of the same month
our company was ordered to Phil
lippi, whore a battalion was being formed
by Colonel Moomaw. In the latter part of
that month or about the 1st of May we
were surprised and the whole command
came very near being captured. A Mr.
Sims, from Richmond, the acting quarter
master of the battalion; Mr.. James Hanger,
of Staunton, a civilian who was on a VISIT
to his brother, O cayalryman, and mysell
were captured, young Hanger having his
right leg shot off by cannon-ball.
lf the above dates are correct (and they
are impressed on my mind somehow as
being SOY, was PERHAPS among the young
est Confederates, and certainly was the
first prisoner captured on either SIDE
during the war, as Sims was not, properly
speaking, q soldier, and as Hanger was
civilian You NAV publish these facts if
y0YS o wIs9 tr1 SRt % &e!i LILY 6. W.
MANGoHIcK, Va, April "a, 1891,
To he Editor Of the Dispatch:
l see in the DISPATCH this question,
"Who was the youngest Confederate SOL
der at the time of enlistment" &c.
Twas seventeen years old April Ia, 1861, ana
| enlisted June /, 1861, as private IN a
company organized by Thomas ii. Carter,
known az the King William Artillery, which
was mustered into service June 2, 1861.
/ recollect that | was so small that the per-
son who mustered the company in refused
to take two of us, but CAPTAIN Carter took
us to Governor Letcher, who, after some
| hesitancy said that he reckoned we would
do. served from the time | was enlisted
| as a private, except about five months that
| / was prisoner, until General Lees sur
render at Appomattox; altogether three
wears, ten months and eight days, and,
| am proud to say, without o scratch.
Yours, &C., HARVEY TERRY.
RICHMOND, April %. 1891.
| To The Editor of The Dispatch:
Among the very youngest soldiers in The
| active Confederate service was Milton A.
Barnes, of Richmond, of Company II, First
| Virginia infantry. Enlisted May 4. 1861
! killed at Bull Run July IS, 1861. | don't
| think he was much over sixteen years oil
| age. He was among the first martyrs oil
the war, and a generous and gallant boy
! He was son of the late Lewis Il. Barnes
/ of this city. l was in the same command
and saw him fall. Very, truly.
JAMES A. GENTRY.
MANCHESTER, Va, April "a, 1891.
To he Editor Of the Dispatch:
In your issue of the ODD instant | no
| tice a reference to the youngest soldier II
the late Federal volunteer army. Is he 6
pensiouer
There is a woman seeking a pension fol
! a wound received as a soldier. She enlist
| ed in company with her sweetheart.
! | will here refer TO two youths in,
! think. Company ID. of the Twelfth Ala
/ bama Volunteers, who were in the same
mess with their father and grandfather
| / do not know their ages. but they ap
/ peared to be very young; in fact. then
/ father did not seem to be more than thir
| ty-fye years old. I doubt whether there
is another case like it on record;
Once OF Company A, Twelfth Alabamt
Volunteers.
A PENNSYLVANIA BOY IN THE wAs,
To ne Editor Of he Boston Globes
The New York Press, in recent issue
gives a sketch of J. ID. Campbell, of Brook
iyn, of Company B., Ninth Pennsylvania
who, il claims. enlisted at the age OF
ten years, five months, eight days, which
would make him over one year younger
! than Sullivan. v.