The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-05-30

i NJ ToI Mere boys were /
SsN&S plentiful on both
- sides of the terri
.tatR. rREsrpESr. WAS bleconhIct. Some
In THE WAR. OF the strIpllngs
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 pructIced law nt Ellsworth. Kan.
Johnnie went into tile service US II drum.
mer boy Mt the age of nine years. lie
served from July. 1863. to August.
1865. But lie was not enlisted. His
father was hfer. In the. musicians,
corps. and the boy went Along to beat
a drum. One Of Johnny's sad duties
was to beat the dead march In: Indian
apolIs when tho body of President
Lincoln wns borne through the streets |
there to lie in state for n 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 and
discharge John r. Brooks. SO that he |
might get the regular pay Tor bis two
years Of service. +. I.
~ Only q few months sago nm npplica
;tionT wdsf received by the New Jersey
ndjutnnt general for a civil war vet
Grams medal, ms provided by the state
legislature, for Dnniel 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 1867. He served with both
New Jersey and Pennsylvania volun-
teers. Mr.. Williams now resides in
Washington. z if4
for drummer boy Is that mnde by
John l.. Glenn. now a colonel In the
regular army. Glenn was the famous
drummer boy OF Shiloh" After Gem
eral Grant became president in 1860 a
youth scarcely eighteen years OF age
gained admIttance to. the White House.
"Ir.y President" he said. Il came to
request you to admit me to the Mlll-
tary academy at West Point"
"Why don't you take the; regular. ex-
animation ~ asked the president. AZ,
az have done so, but I failed to
pass" admitted the. boy: e n u l:jg
..Thnt Is very unfortunate said the
president, "but you should have studied
harder" Ei "a :5
"Mr. President. said the applicant.
"while the other boys who took the
examination with me were In school
wns In the war;" &; $. y
WHAT" exclaimed the president.
"What WARP Y. s
"Thc civil war. served four years.
The soldier president looked the
youth in the eye. John Clcm produced
his papers, showing That he told the
truth. President Grantscommlssioned
him rs second lieutenant In the regular
army.
Another drummer boy whose record
shines brightly was j. C. julius Lang.
bein, who In later life bccame a well
known city judge In New York. When
| a mere boy he enlisted as q drummer
| in the Ninth New York volunteers.
known us the Hawkins zounves. q 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 tho
Union armies. Lnngbein served chiefly
In the Virginia campaigns. Like the
big soldiers In his regiment. he was
dressed in the zounve uniform. with
baggy knee trousers and short, flaring
jnckct, his hend covered with a tns-
seled cnp. So slight and childish Lang
beln looked that he seemed out Of place
among tho, strong. rough men around
him. but every man In the regiment
loved the little drummer boy. One BIZ:
soldier who had q sweetheart up home
named Jennie declared that the boy
looked like "the girl he left behind
him." SO the drummer was known by
his Grownup comrades Us Jennie"
LanGbein. N 5.s
Adjutnnt Bartholomew of "Jennie's''
regiment took particular interest in
the boy. He had promised I.angbein's
mother that he would look after the
little fellow AZ well as he could. = At the
battle of Camden, or Snwyer's Lane.
near the southern end of the Dismal
swamp canal. the Hawkins zounves
made desperate charge. A fragment
OF exploding shell plowed d friEhtful
i furrow In the neck Of Ad djutantS Bar
tholomew. who. crnzed by the shock
and pain, staggered outside the Fed.
eral formation and wandered almlessls
TX ~ y s.