Crown Hill Cemetery, section 16 lot 148, Indianapolis Indiana
Above is the drum used by Edward Black, a drummer boy in the Civil War. It's now part of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. What makes this drum special is because of what made Edward Black special.
What makes Edward Black so special? If you would notice his birth date. May 30, 1853. Why would that birth date warrant any attention? The American Civil War started on April 12, 1861. Black enlisted on July 24, 1861 in the 21st Indiana Infantry. That would make Edward Black the youngest Civil War soldier. Lets just say recruitment standards were extremely lax. It was common for drummer boys to be young but Edward Black is the youngest Civil War soldier.
Here is the marker that lists Edward along with his twin brother Edwin.
Perhaps the most famous Civil War drummer boy is John Clem. Born John Klem in Newark, Ohio in 1851. Clem at some point changed the spelling of his last name and adopted Lincoln as his middle name. Clem tried enlisted in the 3rd Ohio Infantry but was rejected. He then became the drummer boy of the 22nd Michigan Infantry. His nickname of Johnny Shiloh stems from a story that he was wounded at the Battle Of Shiloh. In fact, the 22nd Michigan came into being after Shiloh.Clem is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Clem in a photo by Mathew Brady.
