The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-03-10
BABY SOLDIER
TELLS TALES
OF CIVIL WAR
Gilbert Van Zandt, Drummer.
boy and Orderly. Mustered
Out at Thirteen
TOOK PONY RATHER THAN
ACCEPT COMMISSION
Came Back to Mother on Fur
lough Once. But Returned
70 Front Again

% Front Again
The schooaroom was a-thril Win
the Importance Of NE thing. Nr. Bod
hin, the teachsr Of the Port william
school was ooing 70 the war: he had
jus: nntnhed falling tham Of his plan.
anl that there would - . new teach
Sr when school oDenDA again. The
tai 1rm-mouthed uAA vas vuddGnly
bo0mo q figure ct Eo0anoo and ~
venture: that tharo wo0A - . blue
uni1uem before loag a ~ haAk, end
IL duot Of battleo inGGoo1 6 the dust
e chalk. and - WoaAa 1ourish .
Oword instead 6 . po1neoe. lndoeo
end indeed. 4 more thAn at0usd for
Mr.. Dodkin's ever Aasiag been .
schoolAaster.
a very small bog sttting behind .
biz gixl vT1GgAsa Harvard IN 10 sea3
ard whispered eGo11odly: ~
'Ih going - u uAz. TOO. u ny
mthsr dosA.
The biz girl jsrks4 . shoulder and
~ ung q pigtau IN scorn.
Il don't care II you are" abe snap
ped, 20 ahead"
4 csAsy idea. that anybody'd taxa
70 small boy - . soldier.
A few weeks later. though. . 70
|cruiting uGlcsr organising a Ohis
regiment came 70 Port william. He
needed Q drummer bov ana oabeas
VA xanlt could beA& drum right
veil. even II hs Wa . wee BIT Of 2
chap ana only 10 years old. 30 they
got wagon, and = chap who. could
play the Afe. and Lieutenant Ellwood
ana Captain Hicks set out to gather
In : company TOR IL Soventy-ninth
Ohio volunteers.
That Va n tAs spsaAg Of 1es3. To
| DAY ollbert Van 2AnAt. born Dec. 80,
| 1851, bears the 1iat1nCl1oo q bein1
the younssst living soldier Of the Civil
war. Hb's Just past o. Part Of the
| time he mAkDo HE homo In KAnsas
lCity. At prooont 10 n IN Centerville.
Kas., whore his mother lives. white
haired, trail and bsautlful old lady.
| past 80 now.
Che never really meant 70 let HIN
70, the utfla boy Who va 10 years
Old. going On II. He kspt On driving
around the oountyy with that recruit.
tins ofAeor. end Il didn't ooem 90 =
| nat did any AaSun. end they az ~
lac holped 70 eot tne men, - 80 ouoA
II wee BIT Of chap folllng the drum
eticto. Mr.. Van zAndt made hin
| Z oort e soldier suit herself: but, sho,
IShU- never thought he'd really 90
want Y enough to give up her nus
band?
war times made folks DO funny
NJ 2aAAt
sshtly. "And they stole him from -.
really, his father and the rest, and
took him down to Camp Dennison,
land then. Arst knew - va en-
| 1stod."
Once during the war he came back
|oa = flrlough. and she gathered him
Into hoc arms ana sai0 ~ ehoulAn't
lno back, no matter what: but laws
ARE lnuU, and 0Sum0ef bovD oAliste4
|mon. ana whsn NJ furlougA va over
onhess WIT beck - ~ treat And
~ va very. very hoDeajck Just % b
II bov asain, and - - taseod ovsg
|an1 putto1 : LITTLE, nlAytA INT ~
|1oooG1t luovo : fellow Uueh t1me g
- honoto6k~ lonoe tnn3 Wae 0oo1&
a. younGuDe oo1619 oov1.
- ona11eDo Aue. !, th0uSA - ~
|Nne mDDo1 NTH 0o1UoW1 an1 IL
Umu0g 2onfhs voeU opont q CAM
|0onn1oGn noot Cinc1nA01l
pNGS1 0AougAt ~ te1lum q CAMP
70 vvcN1A Woof - oot - nake -
IHonf - - 800. oayp Mr.. van
IHr2E .s5pt Il oooms ljko K didnEs
TN11 go M ) 1r0nner ~ ~
r. 4 111fSt q =. a $3.50 g
~ - - a.. q ~ =
1870 0h1ne M 1Anfnod . Grum. Ard
10SS ~ 800 ~ M1hDn wAe ha1
- 90 vllIaoo esotlee @ Port WI
i1an. - = oSseoonf % Oo1nDaay n
~ Z IDt @ ~ tlmA oopselAlly q
-. - 49, - abio . tako oaSo
I1f -. - ~ o1opt n ~ Some
fuat. HIT ole1fVlr6, WAen 0llbost ~
1870 - or6nf1v. ~ li1A't ~ t1G
sepennSH u1lufIna1n1o fNr tive anG thsoe
~ f4n q = 49,
Th1y bcu9ht - : drum IN Chatta.