Augustus Meyers Augustus Meyers was an American soldier during the Civil War , best known for writing Ten Years in the Ranks , U . S . Army , an account of his life in the military . The book is an important historical document , containing many unique descriptions of practices that would otherwise be unknown . Meyers was the first to write about the training he received at the School of Practice on Governor ' s Island , New York , where Army musicians were trained . After joining the Army at the age of twelve in 1854 , Meyers served in the color guard for the 2nd Infantry Regiment , and then became the youngest sergeant in his company at age twenty - one . He was detailed as brigade commissary sergeant . Later in the war , during the battle for Petersburg , Meyers was appointed acting ordnance sergeant . At the end of the war , with the support of Col William F . Drum , Augustus was commissioned as a 2nd Lt . in the Fifth New York volunteers , Duryea ' s Zouaves . Although so commissioned , he was not officially mustered in , choosing to return to civilian life instead . Nevertheless , he was permitted to participate in the group ' s activities as a veteran . In 1888 , he served as a Vice Chairman of the dedication committee for the unveiling of the bronze statue of G . K . Warren at Little Round Top , Gettysburg . The statue by Karl Gerhardt rests on the exact spot where Gen . Warren stood when looking over the field on July 2 , 1863 . " Ten Years in the Ranks , U . S . Army " was originally published by Stirling Press in 1914 and that edition was reprinted by Arno Press in 1979 . Augustus Meyers was born on June 20 , 1841 in the community of Morschwyl , a part of the Borough of Rorschach , in the Swiss canton of St . Gallen . He was baptised Johann Baptist August Maier . As was customary , upon arrival in the US , the family adopted a more American spelling for their name . Along with his widowed mother , Franziska ( Benz ) Maier , later known as Francis , he reached the United States in 1852 . A half - brother , Joseph Peter Maier , remained behind . The family lost contact with Joseph and after the Civil War spent many years trying to locate him without success . They settled in New York City , but after a short time , having few options , Augustus joined the army . It was a testament to his self - determination that he eventually educated himself to be an effective author in English despite growing up speaking German and having had almost no formal education . After the war , he married Elizabeth Cozzens from Albany and was financially successful in the bluestone business . Later in his career , he developed several large warehouse buildings along the Hudson River which still stand today . 547 - 553 W . 27th / 548 - 552 W . 28th is located just east of 11th Avenue spanning the block between 27th and 28th street . It was his first large project and measures just over 100 , 000 square feet . It was prior to the commencement of construction leased to the firm of Berlin & Jones and is now included in the Chelsea historic district . It has subsequently evolved from its original industrial purpose to be the workspace for multiple eclectic creative commercial tenants including over 2 dozen art galleries . The largest of these is the non - profit Aperture Foundation . The building is now a NYC Landmark and is known as the " Landmark Arts Building " . Another building at 547 West 20th Street , aka 120 11th Avenue , had housed several art galleries as well . It remained in the Meyers family until 2000 . Now it has been converted to high end residential lofts . They were marketed as the " Lifesaver Lofts " . It is claimed that Mint Products Company manufactured Life Saver mints from there 1913 to 1916 . Augustus traveled widely and circled the world several times . He had six children and died in NYC in 1919 .