The Youngest Veteran of the Civil War?

SWMODave

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The Illustrated American Vol 1 1890

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Rootsweb page that is down - archive page here


 
David Bailey Freeman, enlisted in the 6th Georgia Cavalry, Co. D as a Private at age 10 and was said to have been the youngest soldier in the Confederate Army. After the war he was a prominent editor and publisher of several different Georgia newspapers. In 1923 he co-authored a pamphlet (14 pages) called "Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, The Wizard of the Saddle". He later became general of the Confederate Veterans Association.
 
David Bailey Freeman, enlisted in the 6th Georgia Cavalry, Co. D as a Private at age 10 and was said to have been the youngest soldier in the Confederate Army. After the war he was a prominent editor and publisher of several different Georgia newspapers. In 1923 he co-authored a pamphlet (14 pages) called "Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, The Wizard of the Saddle". He later became general of the Confederate Veterans Association.

David also authored a poem. Sounds like he was a bit of a prophet. Just replace the music of his day, with the monuments in our day.

http://www.ifreeman.com/freeman/dbfreeman2.htm
 
He was actually older than indicated. In 1860, he was listed as being 12 on the census (Franklin Co. Ny P 344) and in 1870 he is 22 on the Franklin Co. Ny census (p 387)
 
Doesn't the storied John "Johnny" Clem "The Drummer Boy of Chickamauga" have him beat, age-wise? He certainly entered the service earlier, in 1862 or 1863.
 
Johnny Clem claimed to have been present at Shiloh in April 1862, but there is utterly no documentation for that. He enlisted in May 1863 in the 22nd Michigan. He was born 8/51 so would have been 11 when enlisting. Joseph White's claimed birthday (June, 1853) would have made him also 11 when he enlisted in 1864. However, census records suggest birth in 1848, making him about 15.
 
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Johnny Clem claimed to have been present at Shiloh in April 1862, but there is utterly no documentation for that. He enlisted in May 1863 in the 22nd Michigan. He was born 8/51 so would have been 11 when enlisting. Joseph White's claimed birthday (June, 1853) would have made him also 11 when he enlisted in 1864. However, census records suggest birth in 1848, making him about 15.
Not according to his headstone above (1851), and he certainly doesn't LOOK fifteen in his first photos! Besides, I thought part of the point wasn't only age, but when he joined up, which was about a year before White. Although it's been pretty conclusively proven he wasn't at Shiloh, he certainly WAS at Chickamauga, the year before White saw action.

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I don't know about soldiers but there were a lot of "boys"..rank and age..In the Revenue Cutter Service and the Navy..think they would qualify.
 
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James N - You misread my comment- I said Joseph White was 15.
I did; I thought you were saying John Clem was 15. Clem certainly appears to have been the younger, at least of the two.

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