01073 - Sergeant Johnny Clem (later Lt.); Was Sgt at age 13 (image from 1870's) w-Bro. [LC-DIG-cwpbh-01073]
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At the start of the war Johnny Clem was only nine years old, but wanted to respond to Lincoln's call for troops just as much as men two or three times his age. He left his school classes to drill with the Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. However, the 3rd Ohio, and many other units that passed through Newark, Ohio always rejected Clem because of his young age.
Determined, Clem tagged after the 22nd Michigan, acted "just the same as a drummer boy," and wore down resistance. Though still not regularly enrolled, he performed camp duties and the officers pooled their money to pay him the regular salary of $13 per month that a private would receive. At the age of 12 he was allowed to enlist and was provided with a rifle and uniform that had been cut down to his size.
While many stories claim he was “The little drummer boy of Shilo” (April 1862) it is unlikely, since the 22nd Michigan did not participate in that engagement. He was however at the battle of Chickamauga (September 1863) where he served with distinction. In one of the Union retreats a Confederate officer ran after the cannon Clem rode with, and before he killed him said, "Surrender you damned little Yankee!" This pluck won for Clem national attention and the name "Drummer Boy of Chickamauga."
Eventually he was captured. He was exchanged a short time later, but the Confederate newspapers used his age and celebrity status to show "what sore straits the Yankees are driven, when they have to send their babies out to fight us."
In the North he was an instant celebrity. Promoted to Sargent at the age of 13 he became the youngest non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army ever. Following the war he returned to school and graduated High School in 1870. President Ulysses S. Grant nominated Clem to become a student at the United States Military Academy at West Point. However, Clem repeatedly failed to pass the entrance exam. In 1871, Grant overlooked Clem's failures and appointed him a second lieutenant in the United States Army.
This image was probably taken shortly after that time. He served first in the infantry and later transferred to the Quartermaster Corp. He rose to the rank of Colonel and became the last soldier of the Civil War to retire from active duty in 1916. Upon his retirement he was promoted to Brigadier General. He died in 1937 and is buried at Arlington.
![01073 - Sergeant Johnny Clem (later Lt.); Was Sgt at age 13 (image from 1870's) w-Bro. [LC-DIG-cwpbh-01073]](/img/s/v-10/p1466015836-3.jpg)