Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-02-24
Death of "sov Veteran

Death of boy Veteran"
Edwin F. Gushing, the youngest
musket carrier of Massachusetts, in
| the civil war, died suddenly JAN 16
at his home, Somerville, Mass, of
heart failure
He was only Is years old when he
was mustered into the service. and
was little more than II when he
was mustered out after serving quite
TOUR years in the war. He had been
resident of Somerville for about
twenty years and served in the com
mon council in 1898 and 1899 He
leaves a wife.
Mr.. Gushing was popular member
OF the G. A. R., having held various
Offices in Willard c. Kinsley post iS9,
G. A. R., of Somerville He was
looked upon as the baby of the vet
Grams.
Regarding his war experiences Mr..
Gushing once told the following story:
L was mustered into the service
at camp Chase, Lowell, on Sept 8.
1861, and, as 1 was born at Dover.
N H, on May 20, 1S4S, my age at
the time of muster was IS years 8
months and days. My final dis
charge was given me at Gallops ISL
o.
1865, thus making the official dura-
ton of my connection with the regi-
ment just one week less than four
years.
'Of course" said Mr. Cushing.
there were a great many more boys
in the army. But the larger part of
these under-age youngsters got in
during the last years of the war, and
as 1 began with carrying a musket
and kept right on in that sort of duty
during the major part of the time 1
was in the army, the claim has been
made in my behalf that 1 am the
youngest soldier, with four years of
active service to my credit, who en-
listed from Massachusetts,.
Whether or not that is so, and
the record may be duplicated several
times in this as in other states, 1 am
satisfied" said Mr.. Cushing, that L
became a soldier full early enough,
and but for some hardening 1 had
just received on a New Hampshire
farm, my experience in performing
the duties of a full-1edged enlisted
man might have been much more diff
f1cult than it proved to be.
when New Orleans was taken our
regiment was ordered to the city for
provost duty, and 1 was specially as
signed as an orderly at Provost Mar
shall Bowen's headquarters. This
duty also brought me to Gen. Buffers
headquarters, and when l told the
general 1 had lived in Dracut before
enlisting he at once took an interest
in me, recalled an acquaintance with
my grandparents, and he also knew
my father, who was an actor in the
ut he ala r
museum, the institution which Moses
bought and moved to Boston
as the nucleus of the old Boston mu-
scum.
''As 1 remember Gen Butler before
the war in Lowell, he was in the habit
Of wearing the old-fashioned blue
swallowtail coat with brass buttons.
"Col. Jones resigned from the regi-
ment before we left New Orleans, and
our first fight was at La Fourche, six
ty miles west of New Orleans, which
was but skirmish compared to what
we had to face in Virginia In Janu-
ary, 1864, the regiment, or SAG men
0f the regiment, re-enlisted for thR
war, the largest number, as it VI
stated at the time, that was secured
rom any regiment of our department
After a furlough home we were at
ached to the new 18th corps, and by
July, 1854, we were in the Shenan-
ioah valley under the command of
glorious Phil Sheridan, getting all the
'eal fighting we wanted, and partici-
,ating in the Berryvil1e and the Ce-
lar creek battles. At Berryville the
egiment had eleven officers wound
ID and thirty-eight men killed, and
We met with like loss at the more
lecisive contest of Cedar creek when
Carly was sent 'whirling through