William Black (soldier)

Edward (William) Black (18531872) was a drummer boy for the Union during the American Civil War. At twelve years old, his left hand and arm were shattered by an exploding shell. He is considered to be the youngest wounded soldier of the war.[1][2]

William Black
Born
Edward Black[lower-alpha 1]

(1853-05-30)May 30, 1853
Indiana, U.S.
DiedJune 30, 1872(1872-06-30) (aged 19)
Occupationdrummer, soldier
EmployerU.S. Government
Known forThe youngest wounded soldier of the American Civil War
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch
Years of service24 July 1861–16 Aug 1862
RankMusician
Unit21st Indiana Regiment
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Early life

A resident of Indianapolis, Indiana the son of George A. Black [b.1830] and Lydia A. [b.1832]. In the 1860 United States census he is listed as Edward Black,[lower-alpha 1] age 6, with a brother, Charles Black, age 9.

U.S. military service

Enlisted 24 July 1861 as a Musician in Company L of the 21st Indiana Infantry regiment; discharged 16 August 1862.

Death

In the 1870 United States census he is listed with his parents (George and Lyddia) as age 17, birth state of Indiana, residence Indianapolis.[3] He died June 30, 1872 and is buried Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Notes

  1. The Photographic History of The Civil War In Ten Volumes, Vol 9, p.67, which has his photograph, erroneously gives his first name as "William".[lower-alpha 2]

References

  1. "Civil War Soldiers Letters and Diaries Archive". www.soldierstudies.org. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  2. Miles, Dudley H., ed. (1911). The Photographic History of The Civil War In Ten Volumes. 9 Poetry and Eloquence of Blue and Gray. New York: The Review of Reviews Co. p. 67.
  3. "United States Census, 1870 (database with images)". Retrieved December 6, 2020 via FamilySearch. Indiana > Marion > Indianapolis, ward 1 > image 159 of 188; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.)


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.