9. Willie Johnston was not even 14 when he won the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the American Civil War
William H. Johnson was not old enough to carry a gun. Since he was not yet 14 years old when he saw action in the American Civil War, he was a drummer boy. His job was to keep playing his drum, keeping the Union Army troops in check and communicating commands across the chaotic battlefield, no matter what. And he did just this. Indeed, he did it in the face of such adversity that Johnston was awarded the Medal of Honor at the age of just 13, making him the youngest-ever recipient of America’s highest and most prestigious military decoration.
Johnston’s act of supreme bravery occurred during the Seven Day Battles of the Peninsula Campaign. He was a drummer boy for D Company of the 3rd Vermont Infantry, the same company his father had enlisted in. According to the records, he signed up when he was just 11 and no more than ‘five feet tall’, and as the Civil War unfolded, he saw action at Eltham’s Landing and the Battle of Williamsburg. Then, on June 28, 1862, D Company became involved in a skirmish at the Battle of Savage’s Station. It was, all the history books agree, a rout. Around one in six Union soldiers were killed or wounded. Many dropped their guns and fled. But Johnston kept on drumming his orders.
When D Company reconvened on the parade ground one week later, Johnston was the only drummer still with his drum. According to legend, President Abraham Lincoln was present that day on the parade ground and learned of the drummer boy’s bravery. True or not, Secretary of War Edwin B. Stanton certainly heard all about it and it was he who approved the Medal of Honor citation. Johnston was only the second person to win the award and remains the youngest-ever recipient.
Johnston saw out the rest of the war serving as a nurse. That was the end of his military career. The records show he tried – and failed – to get into the West Point military academy. After that, relatively little is known about his life. He moved to Massachusetts and raised a family. It’s believed he died in 1941 at the grand old age of 95, though the exact details of his death, as well as his resting place, remain unconfirmed.
