17. John Lincoln Clem Enlisted When He Was Nine, Became a War Hero When He Was Twelve
In 1861, 9 year old John Lincoln Clem ran away to enlist in the Union Army. Rejected by various units, he latched on to the 22nd Michigan Infantry regiment when it mustered in 1862, and followed them around. The Michaganders eventually accepted him as a mascot and drummer boy, and raised money to pay him the $13 monthly wage of a Union private. In 1863, he was finally allowed to officially enlist. At the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863, John Clem, by then twelve years old, became a Civil War legend by displaying conspicuous courage after riding to the front atop an artillery caisson, and fighting with his signature weapon, a sawed off rifle, trimmed for his small stature.
The Union lost the battle, however, and Clem became one of thousands of soldiers separated from their units during a hurried retreat. He heard a horse approaching from behind, and looking back, he was confronted by a Confederate colonel riding ahead of his men and spurring their pursuit. Seeing a little boy in Union blue toting a rifle, the colonel ordered Clem to “Drop that gun!” Johnny turned around, coolly raised his rifle, shot the colonel off his horse, then sprinted to the safety of Union lines. After the battle, 12 year old Clem was officially promoted to sergeant, making him the youngest noncommissioned officer in US Army history.
