Not Another History Podcast
We are Cindy and Katie, and every two weeks we bring you a random theme and offer several of our favorite historical events loosely based on that theme. We are basically just living out our old lady fantasies of rocking on the front porch together, drinking, and gossiping about people who are already dead. Music: The Life of a Divorced Bumblebee by Josef Bel Habib (www.epidemicsound.com). Design: canva.com
Not Another History Podcast
12 Drummers Drumming
In honor of the holiday season, we are re-releasing our 12 Days of Christmas special! For the next 12 days, we will re-release one episode a day, each one with our own spin on the classic holiday theme, "The 12 Days of Christmas."
Cindy talks about the drummer boys of the Civil War.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me twelve drummers drumming.
Speaker 2:I'm very interested to know what you did, because I feel like we've we have covered music in warfare throughout history, and drums do play a very large role in that.
Speaker 1:Well, and, katie, it's funny you say that, because I I went around and I had so many different ideas for what I was going to do, including, like taiko, drumming, which I still want to do a story on but I have to say that talking about music and war and the importance of drums in war kind of influenced the topic that I chose for our very last episode for the 12 Days of Christmas. You know what, katie, if I just don't do my story, then this never has to end.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but then we would never get to hear your story. Cindy, I would. I don't know. It's like Schrodinger's cat it both exists and doesn't exist. His podcast.
Speaker 1:Schrodinger's podcast. Okay, katie. Well, for the sake of our listeners, content. Okay, katie. Well, for the sake of our listeners, I will do a story, but I have a question for you first. You have given birth before. Yes, yes, as far as I know. So when you gave birth, what was the last thing that you wanted to?
Speaker 2:have in the delivery room with you. Oh, a velociraptor.
Speaker 1:I thought you were going to say a drummer boy. And let's be honest, this is the real reason why Mary really is a saint.
Speaker 2:That reminds me when I was being born, there was a custodian in the room. I was being born, there was a custodian in the room. So I don't know where that falls between Drummer Boy and Velociraptor, but I have a feeling it's somewhere, somewhere in there.
Speaker 1:No gifts to bring swish swish, swish for my broom.
Speaker 2:I just came to change out the soap dispenser dispenser the song, the little drummer boy.
Speaker 1:I feel like I always thought it was written like thousands of years ago.
Speaker 2:Oh, I thought it was written like the 50s, I thought it was like. I thought it was written in like 1950. There are, cindy, there are literally dozens of people who were alive then. How do we not know this?
Speaker 1:it is not certain who wrote the song, the little drummer boy. Many say that katherine k Davis wrote it in 1941 and that the lyrics are based on an old Czech carol. There is also a lot of controversy surrounding who actually wrote the music for the song, but I'm not getting into that today. Today, katie, I want to tell you the story of the real drummer boys. Drummer boys. So, like I mentioned, I did talk about the history of music and war and that drums were a very integral part of battles in many cultures across the world. But for this episode, I specifically want to tell you some stories about drummer boys during the Civil War. So the drummer boys of both the Union and the Confederate armies were the youngest soldiers on the battlefields. They were basically children. Many of them were like 13, 14 years old and there were some even as young as eight years old. That's incredible.
Speaker 2:I was going to ask if they were actually. When you say drummer boy, do you mean drummer boy or just like drummer young adult?
Speaker 1:I mean drummer children, generally the male sex. I don't know of any drummer girls. So yeah, drummer boys, and that's 13 and 14 year old boys these days what are they doing?
Speaker 2:playing minecraft and trying to do like they're on tiktok, trying to do crazy, crazy pranks. Pantsing that's the big thing now. Pantsing Really, yes, at least in my geographical area it is an epidemic to the point where they have to send home letters to families to say we are aware of the pantsing issue in our schools. We will be addressing it.
Speaker 1:We are deeply concerned of the pantsing issue in our schools. We will be addressing it. We are deeply concerned. That's going to make my stories today even more poignant. I think so, for these drummer boys. Their role wasn't just to provide musical entertainment for troops, they were also responsible for playing the drums to communicate vital battle orders and signals. So when a battle took place, the drummer boys generally stay towards the rear of the battle, but they were still on the battlefield, which meant they were still constantly in harm's way. And even when the battles were over, the drummer boys would be charged with walking around the battlefield looking for wounded survivors that they would then help to carry to the hospital tents, and they also would help to bury the dead. Oh my gosh. So there weren't any age limits to be a musician in the army. Well, let me backtrack. So there were age restrictions for being in the army during this time, but they were kind of flexible, I was going to say.
Speaker 2:is it age restrictions or age suggestions?
Speaker 1:More of suggestions, but there were no age limits to be a musician in the army, which is what a drummer boy was. Apparently, the drummer boy lifestyle appeared quite glamorous for boys, and boys would even sometimes run away from home to enlist to become drummer boys. Other drummer boys were the children or orphan children of soldiers serving in the same unit. Even at the time, adults were fascinated by the concept of drummer boys and, I think, like you and me, like the idea that these children would be so moved and motivated to fight for their beliefs that they would join, that they would be desperate to join the military. And so a lot of drummer boys were portrayed in paintings. They were often the subjects of early photographic portraits. Portraits and pictures would stir a lot of emotion within people during this time.
Speaker 2:I know to them it's a very romantic idea, and I know this is me coming from my modern point of view, but all I can think is they're just children, though. They really are just little kids, even 13, 14 year olds who think themselves as being very grown up, very mature, but they're still really, in so many ways, still kids.
Speaker 1:So, not surprisingly, many of these drummer boys died in battle, but some went on to earn the highest military recognition At just 13 years old. William E Willie Johnston of St Johnsbury was a drummer for the, the 3rd Vermont Infantry's Company D, who participated in the Seven Days Battle. He was awarded the Medal of Honor and he still remains the youngest recipient of the Medal of Honor. That's incredible. Orion Perseus Howe of the 55th Illinois Infantry. He was only 14 years old when he earned his own medal of honor for his service at Vicksburg. Despite receiving a musket ball wound through his leg and being exposed to constant heavy fire from the enemy, Orion remained on the battlefield. He even managed to deliver a very important message to General Sherman that the troops were in need of more cartridges, despite being severely wounded. That the troops were in need of more cartridges despite being severely wounded. Damn.
Speaker 1:There was another kid who was only 10 years old. His name was John McLaughlin of Lafayette, Indiana, and again, he was only 10 years old when he attached himself to the 10th Indiana at the outbreak of the Civil War. However, he was not content just to beat his own drum, as they say. Mclaughlin picked up a musket and he fought alongside the troops. He's like 10, 11 years old. He was eventually transferred to a Kentucky Calvary outfit and, despite being wounded twice at the Battle of Perryville, he refused a medical discharge. Instead talk about cojones Katie he went directly to president Lincoln and was like don't let me go. Like I know I was wounded, I do not want to leave the military. So Lincoln assigned him or, excuse me, Lincoln reassigned him as a bugler.
Speaker 2:You can't be a drummer anymore, but you can bugle, but drumming is my dream.
Speaker 1:The most famous drummer boy of the Civil War has to be Johnny Clem, who is also referred to as quote, the drummer boy of Chickamauga oh yeah. Am I saying?
Speaker 2:that correctly, His his name was the Clemonator.
Speaker 1:Oh, he's like, oh, shucks, like that would have been so much better. So he was born in Newark, ohio, in 1851 and he was always viewed as very small for his age. One journalist said that the Clemonator. I'm going to have to do that from now on. One journalist even said that he was small enough to live inside his drum.
Speaker 2:Like a hermit crab.
Speaker 1:He could just change drums depending on the season. So initially he was denied enlistment but he was eventually adopted as a drummer and mascot by the 24th Ohio volunteers as well as the 22nd Massachusetts or 22nd Michigan infantry. Apparently, people even got their M states mixed up even back then. So one of them.
Speaker 2:There's a big difference between massachusetts and michigan, though. That's what I say. But and also they couldn't find like a dog or a horse or a mythical creature that they could use as a mascot.
Speaker 1:They had to use a small child but he's so cute in his little bandana. Look at him. In his little hat there's a drum he could just live inside. By the time he was 12 years old, he had seen enough action to warrant his official enlistment into the regular army. He then changed his name to John Lincoln Clem in honor of president Lincoln.
Speaker 2:Aw he's just sucking up just trying to get the Clem in honor of president Lincoln. Oh, he's just sucking up Just trying to get the congressional medal of honor.
Speaker 1:Yeah, during the battle of Chickamauga, a mounted Confederate Colonel galloped up to Johnny. The officer apparently shouted either stop you, little Yankee devil, or surrender you little damn son of a bitch Out of his saddle without hesitation, or surrender you, little damn son of a bitch.
Speaker 2:Johnny shot the officer out of his saddle without hesitation. Cindy, that is how I'm going to refer to my children henceforth you little.
Speaker 1:Yankee devils. At another point, johnny was captured by General Joseph Wheeler's cavalry and he was taken directly to Wheeler himself. Allegedly, wheeler asked Johnny what are you doing here, you damned little Yankee scoundrel? Here's another idea. You're a little Yankee scoundrel, yeah? To which Johnny replied. General Wheeler, sir, I am no more a damned scoundrel than you are.
Speaker 2:Oh, that is one heck of a clapback. Let me tell you.
Speaker 1:The soldiers took the few possessions Johnny had and they ended up exchanging him. Johnny didn't care about losing his possessions, except for his hat, which apparently had three bullet holes in it that he had received at.
Speaker 2:Chickamauga. So he didn't care about his drum slash house, but the hat.
Speaker 1:It had so many memories.
Speaker 2:So many buttholes, so many memories.
Speaker 1:A few years after the Civil War ended, president Ulysses S Grant nominated Johnny for enrollment at West Point. West Point, yes. However, johnny had never received a proper education and failed his entrance exams. Aw, stay in school, kids, and end up like old johnny actually it's fine if you end up like johnny, because grant nonetheless appointed johnny a second lieutenant in the army.
Speaker 2:Johnny continued to rise in the ranks and in 1915 he retired as a brigadier general who was the last civil war veteran on the army, rolls well that's because he started when he was eight, so when he was a fetus start young kids you can move up young, work your way up, don't get a proper education.
Speaker 1:Just have friends in high places and you'll be fine. You'll end up like the old clement.
Speaker 2:Now, cindy, hypothetically, who do you think would win in hand-to-hand combat mad jack or the cleminator?
Speaker 1:um hands down. Mad jack gady hands down.
Speaker 2:what about in a um like a uh music battle, bagpipes versus drums?
Speaker 1:Ooh, ooh, Um, ooh, I have to. Ooh, that's a tough one, that's a really tough one. Katie, what do you think I mean?
Speaker 2:I bet you, Johnny, could lay down some really sick beats. So I'm going to give him. I'm going to give him the uh, I think he's going to win, only because I feel like your arms would not get as tired as quickly as trying to constantly inflate a bag pipe full of air console. And I just think Johnny's probably got the better more upper body strength and also just the willful exuberance of youth I feel like would carry him.
Speaker 1:And he can live inside his drums, whereas Mad Jack probably couldn't fit inside his back.
Speaker 2:Not with that attitude, Cindy. No.
Speaker 1:Well, Katie, this is the end of our 12 Days of Christmas.
Speaker 2:Oh, cindy, this was such a joy A tour throughout time and history with you. There's no other way I'd like to spend the first or second 12th the second I don't know. There's no other way I'd like to spend my holiday season.
Speaker 1:Me too. Merry Christmas, Katie.
Speaker 2:Merry Christmas, Cindy and a happy new year, thank you.