How a Civil War Drummer Boy Became the Youngest Medal of Honor Recipient

As bedraggled Union troops retreated to their camp along the James River in Virginia in early July 1862, they endured a march that stretched more than 12 miles. Eager to lighten their load in harsh conditions, they disposed of their weapons and backpacks. The drummer boys who accompanied them did likewise -- all except one.

Willie Johnston, then 11 years old and all of five feet tall, refused to relinquish his drum. He held on to it through the entire march, and when the weary soldiers finally arrived at their destination, Willie -- the only one there with an instrument to play -- performed during a Fourth of July parade that Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac, organized to improve morale.

Johnston’s dedication did not go unnoticed. His story was so inspiring that it reached all the way to President Abraham Lincoln and resulted in the drummer boy receiving the Medal of Honor on Sept. 16, 1863 -- two months after his 13th birthday. He remains the youngest recipient of the United States' highest and most cherished military award for valor in the country’s history.

"On the retreat, when strong men threw away their guns, knapsacks and blankets that they might have less weight to carry, this little fellow kept his drum and brought it safely to Harrison's Landing, where he had the honor of drumming for [the] division parade, he being the only drummer who brought his drum from the field," Johnston’s hometown newspaper, The Caledonian of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, wrote in its Oct. 31, 1863, editions.

Willie Johnston joined D Company of the 3rd Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment in December 1861 after his father, William H.B. Johnston -- an Englishman who felt compelled to defend his adopted country -- enlisted earlier that year. Not even hostilities between the states would separate this father and son, so the younger Johnston became a drummer boy -- a critical position during the Civil War that was responsible for much more than sheer entertainment. Through their beats, drummer boys most importantly relayed officers' commands and other messages to soldiers; for instance, "Three Beats" signaled reveille, while "Tattoo" indicated bedtime. Other drum sequences told troops that they should "Commence Firing," "Advance" or "Retreat."

While they normally did not carry arms, the 40,000 drummer boys serving the Union or Confederate armies were never far from danger. Although drummer boys were usually positioned behind the front lines, the enemy understood all too well that wounding or killing them would scramble the lines of communication, perhaps with disastrous results. In other instances, such as a 13-year-old drummer killed at the Battle of Antietam, they became a casualty simply because they were too close to the fighting.

"A ball hit my drum, and it bounced off and I fell over," one Confederate drummer recounted in recalling a particularly harrowing experience at the Battle of Cedar Creek. "When I got up, another ball tore a hole in the drum, and another came so close to my ear that I heard it sing."

Drummer boys spanned a wide range of ages, from as young as 8 years old to men in young adulthood. Johnston was just days shy of his 12th birthday during the Seven Days' Battles, where his actions led to the Medal of Honor.

Part of the Peninsula Campaign, the Seven Days' Battles ran from June 25 to July 1, 1862, as the Union strived to seize the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. With Gen. Robert E. Lee recently installed as its commander, the Army of Northern Virginia successfully rebuffed the Union forces. Forced to retreat, the downtrodden Northern troops moved slowly after the Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1 en route to their camp at Harrison's Landing -- an arduous trek in the best of circumstances.

These were not the best of circumstances.

"The area around that part of the country had turned to muck and mud due to torrents of rain that fell after the battle," Ron Coddington, editor and publisher of Military Images Magazine, said during an episode of his "Life on the Civil War Research Trail" video series. "... Wagons and caissons had made the roads impassable, leaving the weary soldiers to endure what, by all accounts, was an absolutely miserable march. Many of the men were scarcely able to hold their place as they were trying to put one muddy, broken boot in front of the other."

The situation grew so dire that the soldiers seemingly didn't care what they left behind; the less weight they had to lug, the better. The same went for drummer boys, but no matter his level of fatigue, Johnston clung to his drum. Finally, after hours of marching, they arrived at Harrison's Landing on July 2 in the midst of a driving rainstorm. Two days later, Johnston performed before an appreciative audience.

After experiencing health issues, Johnston went on to perform in the 20th Veteran Reserve Corps hospital band before he left the military on Aug. 31, 1865, at the tender age of 15. While most details about Willie's post-military life have faded with time, his place among the 3,547 Medal of Honor recipients as of March 2025 is secure. Perhaps that was meant to be, considering the Medal of Honor was first created in December 1861 -- the same month that a certain drummer boy joined the Army.

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