Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1914-07-17
600. unemployed and Chicago
81 ,00o."
THE YOUNGEST
CIVIL WAR SOLDIER

alert man called at this Office and
asked for a few moments of time.
He drew from his pocket a dis
charge from the Union army TO
which was attached an article from
the Newark, New Jersey, Call Of
April 10, 1912. Besides this article
and other discharges from the
arm, he had his baptism record
showing that he was baptized on
March 81, 1852, when he was "a
days old. This would make Feb
ruary &c, 1862, his birthday. On
March 10, 1862, he enlisted as II
bugler in Battery D. Third United
States Artillery at Alcatraz, Cali
fornia. He served through that
and subsequent enlistments and
received his discharge March IL,
1868. Eight years ~afterward, he
enlisted again and took par; in the
wars with the Nez Perces, Bannock
and Shecpeater Indians. in 1877,
s & 8.
Mr.. Mcdonald claims that he
was the youngest soldier in the
Civil war and ths records I've has
substantia:e his claim. He is now
living in Laroille and is in the
employ of the GriswuId & Hender-
son company. He is in hopes that
this article may be read by some
Of his old comrades and that he
may hav e the pleasure of meeting
them and recalling the days long
past.
Following is the article from the
Newark Times referred to above:
A copy Of the Sunday Call, one
of $4,000, rolled off the Call press
in Market street Sunday morning,
April 10. Five days later the self
same newspaper was delivered by
one of Uncle Samuel's mail carriers
into the hands of John Mcdonald
at the Veterans Home in Napa
equity, California, $500 miles
from here. One instance showing
how far this newspaper ciIculates.
And there are others, Felix
Fuld and Louis NJ. Frank, Of this
city. who made Il tonr of the world
a year ago. upon their return home
stated that they realized they were
back in civilization when they
reached Paris after spending many
gloomy days in travelling through
Asiatic countries and European
Russia, for in the French capitol
they were able to obtain the Sunday
Call.
However. this article is not IN
tended as an essay for exploiting
the wild circulation of the Sunday
Call. To the point. John Mcdonald,
a veteran of the Civil war, upon re-
ceiving the Newark Sunday news
paper at the Veterans Home in
California, found in the issue of
April 10 a story. under the caption
of1 Boys Army in the Civil War"
containing data of various boys of
the tender age of II and IL years,
who enlisted in the Onion army
during the War of the Rebellion.
and the Californian writes in reply
that he is personally aware Of sew
eral cases that beat The records
cited. and that he himself was
probably the youngest of them all.
The writer of the story, General
j. Madison Drake, pointed out that
of the 2.778,309 soldier. repre-
senting the entire enlistment of the
Union Army during the war, Si4,-
S9l we're boys under lG years of
age; l,l5I,43S under IS years and
1857 who had not reached the
age Of 81 at the time Of their en-.
listment. 1t has always been n
mooted question rs to who WINS the
youngest soldiers during the Civil
War. General Drake did not at
tempt to decide that issue in his
article but that to the bCst of his
knowledge tho you gcst jersey
soldier in the Union army was
Daniel Williams Of Gloucester
rOunty who enlisted ia 'G2 as a
drummer boy in Company !,
rwebty.fourth New jersey icvi.
ment, at the age of II years, D
months and 10 days.
Mr.. Mcdonald, writing from
California, claimed the title OF be-
ing the youngest veteran of the
war. having enlisted at the age Of