johnlincolnclem

John Lincoln Clem

Oil on canvas, 60 X 48 inches, 2007

Nine-year-old John Klem, ran away from home to join the Union army in the spring of 1861 but He was turned down by most of the regiments passing through his Newark, Ohio, hometown because of his age. Somehow he managed to persist and tagged along with the 22nd Massachusetts, which eventually adopted him as their mascot and drummer boy. Officers of the unit reportedly chipped in on his $13 monthly salary and fellow soldiers provided him with a shortened rifle and a uniform in his size. He officially enlisted in the 22nd Massachusetts in May 1863 and received his own pay.

In 1862 he was alleged to have had his drum smashed by cannon fire in the Battle of Shiloh. Photographs show a scar over his left eye. Then on September 20, 1863, the 22nd Massachusetts ran into stiff opposition at the Battle of Chickamauga and many were captured. Johnny barely missed capture himself by making his escape after shooting the Rebel officer who was trying to capture him. Union Gen. George H. Thomas promoted Johnny to lance corporal.

When the newspapers picked up his story, John Clem became a national celebrity. Twice wounded he became known as the "drummer boy of Chickamauga," and also "Johnny Shiloh." Some time during this period he changed his name and its spelling to John Lincoln Clem.

In October 1863, John Clem was not so lucky and was captured by Confederate cavalry while detailed as a train guard. He was exchanged a short time later, but the Confederacy used his captivity to show "what sore straits the Yankees are driven, when they have to send their babies out to fight us." In an effort to keep an eye on the boy General Thomas assigned Johnny to his staff as a mounted orderly. Now at the very young age of 12, he was given the rank of Sergeant in 1864 for his actions at both Shiloh and Chickamauga. This not only made him the youngest soldier in the Union Army but the youngest Sergeant ever in the U.S. Army.

Sergeant Clem was discharged on September 19, 1864 when President Grant appointed him to West Point but short on schooling, Johnny failed several times to pass the entrance exam. in 1871however, Grant gave him a field commission as a 2nd lieutenant, and Johnny began a second climb up the ranks that did not end until he retired in 1915 with the rank of major general.

At the time of his retirement John Lincoln Clem was the last Civil War veteran on the army rolls. He died at the age of 85 in San Antonio, Tex., and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The epitaph on his tombstone reads: "JOHN LINCOLN CLEM/THE DRUMMER BOY OF CHICKAMAUGA/MAJOR GENERAL U.S. ARMY/1851-1937."

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