Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-02-04
MOSES LlvERMAN.
Interesting Sketch of the Career Of
the Above Gentleman.
Denver Republican,

| Iostpiiitc department ClnimS the dis
tinction OF being the youngest soldier
who served in the civil war. When
he was II years old MIR. I-iverman sue
almost as big as he was and marched
away to the front with desire to
| teeded in securing n drum which was
save the union. He was with the
Black Eagles OF Wisconsin regi-
ment which gained some fame dur.
| ing the war, and in recounting his
| experiences with the regiment Mr..
l4iverman said there were three pets
| In the company-the eagle, the dog
and little Nose
Some of Mr. Liverman's martial ex-
periences during his youth were quite
thrilling. Besides being the young
est soldier in the service he was the
| first northern soldier to enter Vicks-
burg after it had capitulated He fre-
| quently ate sandwiches with Gener-
| ais Grant and Sherman, and in addi-
| don played havoc with the little
| southern girls whom he met along
The line of march. Mr.. Liverman was
| born Dec. 23. iS45, in st Louis. With
| his parents he moved to La Crosse,
Wis, and remained there quietly with
no thought of seeking martial glo-
lies until the first gun was fired on
Fort Sumpter. The reverberations of
| this historic explosion stirred young
| Liverman's patriotic soul.
Then President Lincoln issued his
| call ,or $1,000 men. The La Crosse
| Light Guard formed company of
| the Second Wisconsin infantry, and
IN April. 1861, Mr.. Liverman enlist
ed as "A drummer boy for the Light
Guard. The late Judge G. G.. Symes
of Denver was then in the same com
pany. The original term of enlist
ment was three months, but before
the regiment left camp at Madison
Wis, the term of enlistment was
changed to three years. The mus
tering officers refused to accept a
youth of Mr., Liverman's tender years
and Mr. Llverman was told to go
back TO the family fireside and be Il
| good boy. Still his patriotic ardor
was undaunted
| Mr.. Liverman finally succeeded In
enllsting as, drummer boy in Co. l..
Eighth Wisconsin, the Eagle regi-
ment" 1t was only after considera-
bic difficulty that he secured the con
sent OF his parents. Mr. Liverman re-
members even now the feelings that
actuated him at the time.
1T seems to me that it was pure
| patriotism and love of country" said
he in referring to this period of his
life. He only served as a drummer
boy for few months. as the bands
were mustered out of service by
General Halleck after the battle of
Shiloh. After this Col. Robbins,
commanding our regiment, appointed
me as his orderly" In this capacity
| Mr.. Liverman served until the close
Of the war.
Il had fat little black horse to
| ride" said Mr.. Liyerman "aud | al
ways used to be in the thickest of
| everything. One day we moved on
the enemy when things got pretty live
| iy. The bullets We're singing through
the air and shells were exploding all
around us. Finally it got SO hot that
the colonel of the regiment and all
| the men dismounted and lay down
on their stomacchs to get out of the
way of the bullets. kept on riding
my little fat black horse up and down
the lines. for | didn't think that any
thing could hit me The men urged
me to come down, saying that ] would
be shot, but continued to ride on
imtil met the colonel. who ordered
me to dismount. | did this and got;
under cover"
| Mr., Liverman afterwards explain.
ed that the colonel said that he could
spare one orderly very nicely. indeed.
but he hated to lose the little black
horse which Mr.. Liverman rode.
| There was hot time at Vicks-
burg too" said Mr.. Liverman. 1T
was a great battle. | got up 50 close
with the men that we could throw
hand grenades at the enemy and bull
IT'S were flying around us like hail
stones. AT last it got so hot that
when | found a nice pile of logs near
by | hid myself. | watched the bat
tie all day but | kept close to the
logs until night came. | was the
| first American soldier to enter Nicks-
burg when 1t capitulated on July 4,
1868, and this is how it happened. !
had been waiting all day for chance
10 get over, and at last steamer
crossed the river. bringing news OF
the surrender. / was nothing but a
child and my uniform had been worr
away long before. At that time had
on red polkadot shirt and long
pair OF blue trousers. When the men
| saw me no one had any idea that !
belonged to the union army just
went aboard the boat and | walked
all about the streets Of Vicksburg be
fore the other soldiers arrived. No
one molested me and | went all
through every part of the city
Despite his many very remarkable
and thrilling adventures. Mr. Liver
man never was wounded or suffered
a days sickness during his military
experiences. Every one made pc,
OF him and he says that any man IL
the BLACK Eagles would have laid
down his life for the trinity Of mas