The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1908-03-05


was even eighteen years old. He was
fifteen years old when the war broke
out, and was working in a fOur-mill
at Maumee, Ohio. He became drum
mer-boy in Company G. Thirty seventh
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and in De-
cember 1862, at the risk of his own
life, rescued a member Of Simmons
Battery, who had gone out too far on
the thin ice that covered the Kanawha
River.
In July, 1868, Kountz was selected
by Colonel Riber as his sole compan-
ion on a night trip to the outer line In
front of Jackson, Miss. At Missionary
Ridge, on Nov. 25, 1868, his regiment
bore a conspicuous part in the battle
and suffered severely. He was shot
in the thigh and dropped near the enc
my's works, just as the Federal forces
fell back to the point of their first ad-
vance. His situation was perilous, and
from his shattered regiment went up
a cry Of dismay, as the soldiers saw
the plight of the boy whose drum had
sounded for them in SO many battles.
1t seemed as If his time had come to
die.
William Smith, Of Kountz's COM
pany. rushed out from the Union lines
to rescue him. Through hail of shot
and shell he made his way close up
under the enemy's works and carried
the boy back to place of safety.
But that was the end Of Kountz's
wartime career. His leg had to be am
putated, and with tears In his eyes he
said good-by to his company after
leaving the hospital and returned to
his home. He was then only fifteen
years old.
The Grand Army Of the Republic
honored the drummer-boy in 1884, by
electing him commander-in-chief.
Up to Kountz's time, the Grand
Army's commanders-in-chie had, with
few exceptions, been heterogeneous.
Since then the post has been held by
men of almost all ranks. Indeed, the
officers of high rank are becoming
scarce.
The present strength of the Grand
Army is less than two hundred and
thirty thousand. In 1890 it was four
hundred and nine thousand, yet there
have been thousands Of new members
elected every year. Its strength In 1890
was the greatest in It's history. 1t had
been gaining every year since its or
ganization.
1t was a magnificent army when, in
September, 1892, it held its greatest
encampment. Sixty-five thousand men
marched through Pennsylvania avenue,
where twenty-seven years before they
had marched in the grand review at
the close of the war.
Yet even then. fifteen years ago, half
of their number were feeble old men.
Said General Green B. Raum, former
Commissioner of Pensions, in a letter
to the Congressional Committee on
Military Affairs in February: 81 no
ticed that a large proportion of the
siXty-five thousand veterans in that pa
rade suffered from curvature of the
spine"
While he was Commissioner of Pen
sions, from 1889 to 1893, General Raum
became impressed with the idea that
the long service veterans of the Civil
War were not living out their years Of
reasonable expectancy. An examina-
ton of sixteen thousand cases of pen
cd CHI 4hn+
an average, they had expired twelve
years before their time
To-day probably half the members of
the Grand Army are suffering from
disease or the feebleness of old age.
There have been few sadder specta-
cles than the Memorial Day parade in
New York City in 1907. Hundreds Of
| veterans in that column were tottering
under the weight of so many years
that they could barely complete the
march. Hundreds dropped out before
going half the distance Nothing was
palmer to the spectators than the fact
| that the feeble remnant Of the army
| that saved the Union would soon be
Seen no more.
Yet there are still six thousand one
| hundred and sixty-fve Grand Army
| posts in the country, and even ten
years from now the members will east
| ly be numbered by thousands.
1t has been estimated that fifty years
from now there will in all probability
be one or two survivors Of the great
war The youngest of these survivors
would probably be not less than one
hundred and seven years old
Here are some facts about the ar
mics engaged in the Civil War that
will be Of interest to the generations
that have grown up since the close of
! the conflict:
The total number of Federal soldiers
in the field was 2,666999, Of whom
204, 266 were drafted the Confederate
force consisted of about 100000 men.