About this episode

This episode explores the story of Johnny Clem, a child soldier in the American Civil War, and the broader context of child soldiers during that era.

Eleven year-old Johnny Clem formally became part of the Union Army on 1st May, 1863 - though he had already been participating as a Drummer Boy for the 22nd Michigan Infantry in the American Civil War for two years. Clem's youthful determination and bravery propelled him into the spotlight of national fame - but he was far from the only child soldier in this tumultuous American era. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly peruse Clem’s memoir, ‘From Nursery To Battlefield’; reveal how President Ulysses S. Grant personally intervened to assist Clem’s further career; and consider how Clem’s image was used for powerful propagandistic purposes… Further Reading: • ‘The Boys of War’ (The New York Times, 2011): https://archive.nytimes.com/opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/the-boys-of-war/?searchResultPosition=3 • ‘Why the Union Army Had So Many Boy Soldiers’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2023): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-the-union-army-had-so-many-boy-soldiers-180981458/ • ‘Early Accounts of Drummer Boy Johnny Clem’ (Life on the Civil War Research Trail, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k2dDVnSO2U We'll be back on Monday - unless you join CLUB RETROSPECTORS…

People in this episode

Hosts: Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina, Arion McNicoll

Topics covered

• American Civil War
• child soldiers
• historical memoirs
• propaganda
• military history

Keywords

• Johnny Clem
• child soldier
• American Civil War
• Ulysses S. Grant
• drummer boy
• historical propaganda
• memoir

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Life on the Civil War Research Trail

Books & works: From Nursery To Battlefield

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