The Little Drummer Boy

Can you imagine marching off to war at the tender age of ten? You would be terrified. Well, that's exactly what Johnny Clem (also spelled Klem) did way back in 1861.

Johnny Clem was born in Newark, Ohio, on August 13, 1851. His parents were Roman and Magdalene Clem. Johnny's mother died in 1858. He was determined to fight in the Civil War and tried to enlist several times. He was always turned down because of his age.

Johnny didn't give up. When the next Union unit marched through Newark, Johnny tagged along. According to Chas. S. Dunn, Superintendent of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park in Georgia, Johnny's first battle was with the 24th Ohio at the Battle of Shiloh.

The Battle of Shiloh was a costly one. 110,000 men fought there. 24,000 were killed. It is said that Johnny's drum was destroyed by Confederate cannon fire. If this is so, he was lucky to have lived through the battle.

After Shiloh, Johnny followed along with the 22nd Michigan Infantry. He could still not enlist, but the men liked him and adopted him as their mascot and drummer boy. The men donated some of their money so that Johnny could receive a monthly paycheck of $13.00. The men gave him a rifle and helped him to alter a Union uniform to his size. He was officially enlisted into the unit in May 1863.

One of the major battles during the Civil War was at Chickamauga, Georgia. Johnny was there. Many of his unit were captured during the fighting. The Battle of Chicamauga took place on September 19th and 20th, 1863.

Johnny was determined not to be captured. He jumped on a caisson (a four-wheeled military cart that carried two ammunition chests and a spare wheel) and rode to the Front (where the heaviest fighting was going on.) When a Confederate colonel yelled, "Surrender, you damned little yankee," and chased after Johnny, he raised his rifle and shot him. He was captured later in the battle, but was able to escape. Union General George H. Thomas promoted him to lance corporal for his efforts.

Newspapers got wind of Johnny's heroics and gave him the title, Drummer Boy of Chickamauga. He soon gained celebrity status. He was also known and still is to this day, as "Johnny Shiloh." About that time, because he thought so much of The copyright of the article The Little Drummer Boy in History For Children is owned by Mary M. Alward. Permission to republish The Little Drummer Boy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.