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John Clem is the youngest noncommissioned officer in the history of the United States Army.
Father of John Clem 1882-1882, and John Clem 1885-1958
MILITARY RECORD
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John Lincoln Clem (August 13, 1851 – May 13, 1937) [1]was a General in the United States Army who served as a Drummer Boy in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He gained fame for his bravery on the battlefield, becoming the youngest non-commissioned officer in Army history. He retired from the Army in 1915, having attained the rank of Brigadier General in the Quartermaster Corps. When advised he should retire, he requested to be allowed to remain on active duty until he became the last Veteran of the Civil War still on duty in the Armed Forces. By special act of Congress on August 29, 1916, he was promoted to Major General one year after his retirement. Wikipedia: John Lincoln Clem.
John Clem is said to have run away from home at age 9 in May 1861, after the death of his mother in a train accident, to become a Union Army drummer boy. He attempted to enlist in two regiments who refused him for his age and size. He continued to follow the 22nd Michigan Infantry until they adopted him as a mascot and he became a drummer boy. [2]
John was with the 22nd Michigan at the Battle of Chickamauga:
Image:Paula's Sources-15.jpg
He is said to have ridden an artillery caisson to the front and wielded a musket trimmed to his size. In the course of a Union retreat, he shot a Confederate Colonel who had demanded his surrender. After the battle, the "Drummer Boy of Chickamauga" was promoted to sergeant, the youngest soldier ever to be a noncommissioned officer in the United States Army. [3]
Little John Clem had earned the nickname "Drummer Boy of Chickamauga".
There is a myth that John Clem was the "Drummer boy of Shiloh" but since his unit had not been commissioned until after that battle, he was not there to play his drum. The 22nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed on August 29, 1862.[4] The Battle of Shiloh was fought on April 6–7, 1862, over four months prior to formation of John’s unit. [5]
John Clem was captured in Georgia and was part of a prisoner exchange. The Confederates, noting his age reported what "dire straits" the Yankees must be in. Little John was reported to be most upset over the taking of his uniform, especially his cap which had three bullet holes in it Janesville Gazette 12/18/1863, Page 3
John Clem graduated from high school in 1870. In 1871, he was elected Commander/Captain of the "Washington Rifles" a District of Columbia Army National Guard militia unit. He applied to the United States Military Academy but failed the entrance exam.
President Ulysses S. Grant appointed John Clem 2nd Lieutenant in the 24th U.S. Infantry. He served faithfully in the Indian Campaign and the Spanish Wars. John Clem graduated from artillery school at Fort Monroe in 1875. He went on to become a Colonel and Assistant Quartermaster General in 1903. John Clem reached the mandatory retirement age of 64 on Aug. 13, 1915, and retired. John Clem was reported to have been the last Civil War Soldier to leave the Army when he retired. John Clem was promoted to Major General one year after he retired by Special Act of Congress.
John Clem married Anna "Anita" Rosetta French in 1875. After Anita died in 1899, John Clem married Mary Elizabeth "Bessie" Sullivan of San Antonio in 1903. He had one daughter with Bessie, Anna Elizabeth Clem born in 1906, died in 1997
John Clem died on May 13, 1937[6]in San Antonio, Texas. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA. [7]
John L. Clem was born in Newark, OH 13 Aug 1851 according to his death certificate.
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Categories: United States Army Generals | Example Profiles United States Civil War | Military Musicians, American Civil War | Civil War Campaign Medal (Army) | Indian Campaign Medal | Spanish War Service Medal | Philippine Campaign Medal | Battle of Chickamauga | United States Army, Philippine-American War | 24th Infantry Regiment, United States Army | 22nd Regiment, Michigan Infantry, United States Civil War | Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia | Newark, Ohio | San Antonio, Texas | Ripley's Believe It or Not | Spanish-American War
Disney’s story is based on a myth. John’s unit wasn’t formed until after the Battle of Shiloh. He didn’t play his drum there. He did play at Chickamauga.