FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Drummer Boy Willie Johnston ~ 16 May 2022

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[Kathy in Alaska]

 

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Drummer Boy Willie Johnston
Info from here and here.

           

William E. "Willie" Johnston, drummer boy of Company D, 3rd Vermont Infantry, has the distinction of being the youngest soldier to ever receive the Medal of Honor, presented to him at age 11 for gallantry on the battlefield in the Seven Day Battle Peninsula Campaign of 1862. Young Johnston is the subject of a book written, Mr. Lincoln's Drummer, written by G. Clifton Wisler.

In the Soldiers' Record of the town of St. Johnsonbury, Vermont, it is written:

Born in Warrentown, St. Lawrence County, N. Y. Son of William Johnson, member of Company B, 3d Regiment. Resided with his father in St. Johnsbury when he enlisted. Age twelve years. Enlisted in Company D, 3d Regiment, May 1, 1862. Mustered into United States service same day. Drummer. Re-enlisted at Brandy Station, Va., February 15, 1864. Transferred to Company H, February 15, 1864, and thence, as Drum Major, of 20th Regiment of Veteran Reserve Corps. Mustered out of service December 30, 1864.

Willie was with the 3d Regiment in the tedious and hazardous conflicts of the seven days campaign in the Peninsula, and received from the Secretary of War a star medal for heroic conduct during this time. This conduct was meritorious beyond that of other drummers, in so much as he retained his drum and brought it off on the retreat, while they, to lessen their burdens, threw theirs away. Upon reaching Harrison's Landing Willie's was the only drum to be found for use at the division parade.

 

William "Willie" Johnston (born July 1850), from St. Johnsbury, Vermont, was a drummer boy in Company D of the 3rd Vermont Infantry. His service during the Seven Days retreat in the Peninsula Campaign was exemplary. He was the only drummer in his division to come away with his instrument, by no means a trivial accomplishment. As a result, he received the Medal of Honor on the recommendation of his division commander, thereby becoming the youngest recipient of the highest decoration at 13 years of age.

Johnston was born in Morristown, New York in 1850. Apparently his family moved to Salem, Vermont (now Derby). When his father enlisted in December, 1861, young Willie begged to go with him. The commanding officer agreed. He was enlisted as a drummer boy on December 11, 1861 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. He was 11 years old and five feet tall.

Johnston's first fight was at Lee's Mill, Virginia, on April 16, 1862.

During his next campaign, the Seven Days Battles from June 25 to July 1, 1862, Johnston was cited for bravery.

During that retreat many men threw away all their equipment so they would have less weight to carry. Johnston, however, retained his drum and brought it safely to Harrison's Landing. There, he had the honor of drumming for the division parade, he being the only drummer boy to bring his instrument off the battlefields. Johnston's division commander noted this fact and included them in his report. President Lincoln heard the story and wrote Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, suggesting the youth be given a medal. Stanton agreed, and Willie Johnston was presented his Medal of Honor September 16, 1863, at the age of 13, for a deed performed when he was but 11 years of age.

This was the second Medal of Honor ever awarded. Secretary Stanton presented the actual award.

There is no Medal of Honor Citation as the date and place of act are not on record in War Department. Until the establishment of the Medal of Honor there was only one medal a soldier could receive: a Purple Heart. However, since the Purple Heart had not been awarded since the Revolutionary War, and would not be used again until World War I, the Medal of Honor was effectively the only award available to U.S. military personnel at the time of the Civil War.

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission! 

[SkyDancer]

(Re-posting)

Hai Kathy! (((HUGS))) Weather is warm and will be hot by next weekend; partly cloudy and wind will be picking up. I'll be here for two weeks. Accommodations are neat, lots of interesting stuff around, pretty good eateries.

[Kathy in Alaska]

~ Hall of Heroes: Drummer Boy Willie Johnston ~

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Janey...((HUGS))...try to stay cool and enjoy your surroundings.

Do good in school...after previous Cessna’s and the big jets, I suspect you will be proficient is the new Cessna pretty quickly.

Is it a mix of classroom and flying, or is it all flying to get up to speed on this new plane?

[The Mayor]

Our Daily Bread

Monday,
May 16, 2022

The Fierce Struggle

Read: Ephesians 6:10–20

Our struggle is . . . against the powers of this dark world. Ephesians 6:12

In 1896, an explorer named Carl Akeley found himself in a remote section of Ethiopia, chased by an eighty-pound leopard. He remembered the leopard pouncing, trying “to sink her teeth into my throat.” She missed, snagging his right arm with her vicious jaws. The two rolled in the sand—a long, fierce struggle. Akeley weakened, and “it became a question of who would give up first.” Summoning his last bit of strength, Akeley was able to suffocate the big cat with his bare hands.

The apostle Paul explained how each of us who believe in Jesus will inevitably encounter our own fierce struggles, those places where we feel overwhelmed and are tempted to surrender. Instead, we must take our “stand against the devil’s schemes” and “stand firm” (Ephesians 6:11, 14). Rather than cower in fear or crumble as we recognize our weakness and vulnerability, Paul challenged us to step forward in faith, remembering that we don’t rely on our own courage and strength but on God. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power,” he wrote (v. 10). In the challenges we face, He’s only a prayer away (v. 18).

Yes, we have many struggles, and we’ll never escape them by our own power or ingenuity. But God is more powerful than any enemy or evil we’ll ever face. — Winn Collier

What fight are you (or someone you love) facing right now? How is God inviting you to stand firm in His strength and fight?

God, the fight is real. The evil is real. I don’t know what to do, but I’m trusting You and Your mighty power to be with me.

Bible in a year: 2 Kings 24–25; John 5:1–24

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

Were you able to have a little “you” time today?

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

Awesome redital Today! The Kids were great.

(((HUGS)))

[TigerHawk]

Hello,

I’d like to take a moment to thank you, recognize, and applaud the work you do to keep the memory of the service, and sacrifice, of our people who served under OUR flag in OUR military, alive, vibrant, and readily available for old soldiers to reminisce, and especially for young people to learn about.

I don’t expect a thoughtless lib to come in, have an epiphany, and recognize, let alone thank, the vets, living and dead, that upheld the right for libs to curse them, but YOU and ALL those like YOU provide them with the opportunity to do so.

Your enthusiasm just shines through!

THANK YOU.

[Kathy in Alaska]

WOOHOO!!! I knew they would all do a good job! They have a good teacher. ((HUGS))

Did the backyard BBQ format work well?

[left that other site]

Yes...except the wind was hitting the sheet music and we had to hold it down with clothes pins. :-)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

Are you all rested and ready to take on the new week?

Did you have some sunshine over the weekend?

[lightman]

AWESOME story!

[luvie]

William E. "Willie" Johnston
🥁 Drummer boy of Company D, 3rd Vermont Infantry 🥁
Youngest soldier to ever receive the Medal of Honor
Presented age 11 for gallantry
On the battlefield in the Seven Day Battle
Peninsula Campaign of 1862.
I'm in awe at his heroism at such a young age!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu...hope your day has gone well...maybe a little rain for the corn, and across the road, too?

Sun has come and gone, and now seems to be gone for good today. Of course...because I would like to see the moon tonight.

[radu]

Howdy, Tiger Hawk.

Thank you for your kind words. You’re welcome.
The thanks are more deserved by the men who busted their hineys to get the museum up and running and still bust butt to expand it and make it even better.
My small part doesn’t feel like work at all. It’s pure pleasure to be there share some of our military’s history with the people who visit and educate some of them a bit.
It’s almost ecstasy to go through with the veterans who show up. THEY are why we are at that museum .... to honor them and their service. And every one of them who visit keep the enthusiasm fired up. :-)

[radu]

Howdy, luvie.

Hope you had a good day even though it was a hot one.

Ready to watch the eclipse tonight?
We won’t get to see it. :-(

[Kathy in Alaska]

Not much, but a satisfactory day...finishing all the things that I started at work yesterday. Thinking about being another hand short starting Monday.

[radu]

Hey there, Kathy.

No rain AGAIN today. It was sunny most of the day and around 6:30, clouds rolled in. It looked like we’d get rain tonight but only the west half of the state is getting it as it moves south.

We just have clouds that will block our view of the moon. Looks like you and I will both miss out. BOOHISS!!!!

[radu]

Ugh. So she’s really gone, huh? Are they trying to find a replacement or are they just going to leave the three of you in this lurch indefinitely?