Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-02-07

youngest survivors" is John s.
Kountz, OF Toledo, Ohio No youthful
hero of dime novel ever led a more
romantic career than was his before he
was even eighteen years old He was
fifteen gears old when the war broke
out, and was working In four-mill
at Maumee, Ohio. He became drum
mer-boy in Company @. ThIrty-seventh
Ohio Volunteer Infantry. and in De
cember, 1862, at the risk of his own
life. rescued member of Simmons
Battery who had gone out too far on
the thin ice that covered the Kanawha
River.
In July, 1863 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. %, 1863. his regiment
bore conspicuous part In the battle
and suffered severely. He was shot
in the thigh and dropped near the enc
mys works, just as the Federal forces
fell back to the point of their first adj
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 Kount2'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 Kounta'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-chlef.
Up to Kountz's time, the Grand
Army's commanders-in-ch had. with
few exceptions. been major-generals.
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 Il was four
hundred and nine thousand, yet there
have been thousands Of new members
| elected every year It's strength In 1890
was the greatest in its history II had
been gaining every year since It's or.
| ganlzatlon.
1t was magnificent army when. In
| September, 1892, It held Its greatest
| encampment Sixty-nve thousand mer
marched through Pennsylvania avenue
where twenty seven years before they
had marched in the grand review a.
the close Of the war
Yet even then, fifteen years ago. hall
| of their number were feeble old men
Said General Green b. Raum, former
Commissioner of Pensions, In a letter
| W tiib A-t1SA FHSiblAhi tpAiilllAAet vi
Military Affairs in February 81 no
ticed that large proportion OF tn,
| siXty-fiye thousand veterans IN that pa
rade suffered from curvature Of the
spine"
While he was Commissioner of Pen
sions, from 1889 TO 1893, General Raun
became impressed with the idea that
| the long-service veterans Of the Civil
War were not living ont their years OF
reasonable expectancy. An examina
tion of sixteen thousand cases of pen
sioners who had died showed that, on
an average, they had expired twelve
years before their time.
To-day probably half the members 81
| 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 n
New York City In 1907. Hundreds OF
veterans IN that column were totterlna
Under the weight of so many years
| that they could barely complete tho
march. Hundreds dropped out before
| going half the distance. Nothing was
| palmer 10 the spectators than the fact
| that the feeble remnant Of the army
! that saved the Union would soon bt
seen no more.
Yet there are still six thousand on,
hundred and sixty-fve Grand Arms
posts in the country, and even ter
years from now the members will ensi
| ly be numbered by thousands
II has been estimated that fifty year.
from now there will in all probability
be one on 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 tha
| VIII be If interest to the generations
that have grown up since the close o.
/ tue conflict:
The total number Of Federal soldiers
| In the field was 2,GG6,090, of whom
/ 294 2GG were drafted: the Confederat,
f,roa of,uRtgtad If about EnO 600 ty,..,,