Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-05-30

''MR. PRESIDENT, WAS bleconfiict. Some
IN THE WAR. of the striplings
who bore muskets were surprisingly
youthful, while there were drummer
boys of amazingly tender years. Per
hapS the youngest drummer was John
ME Brooks, later John F. Brooks, ESQ.
who practiced law at Ellsworth. Kan
Johnnie went Into the service as q drum
mer boy at the age of nine years. lie
served from July, 1868, to August,
1865. But he was not enlisted. HI;
father was a fifer in the musicians
corps. and the boy went along to bea
drum. One of Johnny's sad duties
was TO beat the dead march in Indian
apolis when the body of President
Lincoln was borne through the streets
there to lie in state for brief time
during the journey from Washington
to Springfield. Thirty years after
the war this drummer boys congress
man introduced a resolution to have
the secretary of war muster in arc
discharge John +. Brooks, SO that l.
might get the regular pay for his two
years of service.
Only a few months ago an apple
ton was received by the New Jers>
adjutant general for a civil war vet-
Grams medal, as provided by the state
legislature, for Daniel Williams, who
was believed to have been the young
est drummer boy regularly enlisted.
Williams went into the volunteer serv-
ice when he was eleven years, five
months and sixteen days old. That
was in 1862. He served with both
New Jersey and Pennsylvania volun-
teers. Mr. Williams now resides in
Washington.
One of the most remarkable records
for a drummer boy is that made by
John L. Glen, now a colonel in the
regular army. Glen was the famou
drummer boy of Shiloh" After Gen
eral Grant became president in 1869 a
youth scarcely eighteen years of age
gained admittance to the White House.
"Mr. President" he said, Il came t.
request you to admit me to the Mill
tary academy at West Point"
'Why don't you take the regular ex-
animation asked the president.
81 have done so, but 1 failed to
pass" admitted the boy.
"That is very unfortunate" said the
president, "but you should have studied
harder"
''Mr. President" said the applicant,
while the other boys who took the
examination with me were In school
was In the war;"
"Whatr' exclaimed the president
''What war;"
"The civil war. served four years.
The soldier president looked the
youth in the eye. John Glen produced
his papers, showing that he told the
truth President Grant commissioned
him as second lieutenant in the regular
army.
Another drummer boy whose record
shines brightly was ]. G. julius Lang
bein. who in later life became a well
known city judge in New York. When
a mere boy he enlisted as drummer
in the Ninth New York volunteers
known as the Hawkins zouaves, a regi-
ment which did some of the fiercest
and most picturesque fighting of the
war. He was the youngest drummer
| boy from New York state and was said
| to be the third youngest in all the
Union armies. Langbein served chiefly
in the Virginia campaigns. Like the
big soldiers in his regiment, he was
dressed in the zouave uniform, with
baggy knee trousers and short, farine
| Jacket, his head covered with tas
seled cap. So slight and childish Lang
bein looked that he seemed out of place
among the strong, rough men around
him, but every man in the regiment
loved the little drummer boy One big
soldier who had a sweetheart up home
named Jennie declared that the boy
looked like "the girl he left behind
him. so the drummer was known bJ
his grownup comrades as Jennie"
Langbein.
Adjutant Bartholomew of "Jennie's'
regiment took a particular interest I
the boy He had promised Langbein':
mother that he would look after the
| little fellow as well as he could. At the
battle of Camden. or Sawyer's Lane
near the southern end of the Disma
swamp canal. the Hawkins zouave:
made a desperate charge A fragmen
of exploding shell plowed a frightfu
furrow in the neck of Adjutant Bar
tholomew whc crcZed by the shocl
| and pain. -" ~.ra,vd outside the Fed
eral formati"n wandered aimlesslI