Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-09-21
SHERIDAN AIDED HIM.
General Helped Young Commissioned
Officer Select His Sword.

George Durham of Boston believes
himself to be the youngest commits
stoned officer who fought in a Massa-
chusetts regiment in the civil war.
He was second lieutenant at IT and
a first lieutenant at 49,
Mr.. Durham was born in Fairhaven
in 1916, and at the outbreak of the
war was attending high school. In
August, 1852, the federal mastering
officer, in looking over the Third Mas
sachusetts regiment, saw-a mild-man-
nered, rosy-cheeked boy, whom he
greeted abruptly with, How old are
you, kid?''
Eighteen" was the reply
You're - we'll, it amounted to
a deliberate falsifier. But he enrolled
15-year-old George Durham as a drum
mer.
The young drummer,s impetuous
nature did not agree with the mac
tive life of a musician. He was al
ways playing, instead of two-four, two
forty time. He became a private in
the ranks, seeing active service under
Burnside in North Carolina, and par
ticipating in three enga gements be-
fore the expiration of his nine months
enlistment period. One of these, at
Plymouth, N. c., was particularly Sc
we're, II of Dunham's company be-
ing killed in as many minutes.
The 15-year-old soldier had been
back in school at Fairhaven but a
month when he reen1isted as sergeant
in the Fifty eighth Massachusetts reg
iment, made up entirely of veterans
who had seen service in the previous
nine months call. Seven days from
the time the Fifty-eighth's quota was
complete in September, 1868, it was on
the firing line in the Wilderness under
Gen. Grant From this time until the
end of the war, young Durham was
not out of hearing of whist1ing bullets.
In November, 1864, at the age of II,
he was commissioned second lieuten-
ant, and soon overcame the resent
ment of men under him who were old
enough to be his father, by his skill
in handling them and his courage in
battle. With the rest of the Fifty
eighth-which is given a high rating
in. Cox's 300 fighting regiments''-
Lieut. Durham was in the thick of the
war from the Wilderness to the TAX
ing of Petersburg. At Spotsylvania
he had his only severe wound, a shat
tered hand which confined him for
short while in the West Philadelphia
hospital, where he had a distinction
probably never before or since en-
joyed by a boy of II. He voted for
President Lincoln.
Lieut. Durham Jared much better
than his comrades in battle He was
one of the Fifty-eighth's two commits
stoned officers to escape death when
Cemetery Hill. at Petersburg was
blown up. The union troops had I'M
dermined the confederate lines, but
premature blast left alive only 60 men
in the regiment He had another mar
row escape when his company was
raiding the plantation of the confeder-
ate leader, McGuider. On one occa-
sion when he went into the commits
sary at Alexandria to procure a new
sword, an uncouth individual who
aided him in selecting it turned out
to be Gen. Phil Sheridan
In June, 1865, he was breveted first
lieutenant, then only Is years old
After the mastering out of the troops
in 1865, he lived in Cincinnati and
Buffalo for several years. In Buffalo
he was commander of G. A R. post
EOS On returning to Massachusetts,
he was appointed a state police OFF,
Ger, a position he held for 20 years
Though now 60. he is younger than
expects to live many years yet
New York's Water Reserve.
49,