Willie Johnston

William “Willie” Johnston was only eleven years old when he marched with the Union Army into one of the most punishing campaigns of the American Civil War. During the desperate retreat from the Seven Days Battles in 1862, exhausted soldiers discarded weapons, blankets and equipment to lighten their loads. Johnston refused to abandon his drum. He carried it through the retreat to Harrison’s Landing and became the only drummer of his division reported to have brought his instrument safely from the battlefield. His determination would eventually earn him the Medal of Honor.

Johnston was born in Morristown, New York, in July 1850. His father, William B. H. Johnston, enlisted in the 3rd Vermont Infantry in 1861 and served in Company B, eventually becoming a corporal and serving with the regimental color guard. Young Willie followed his father into military service. On December 11, 1861, he was formally enlisted as a drummer in Company D, 3rd Vermont Infantry. The regimental rolls recorded him as eleven years old and approximately five feet tall. Because officers initially considered him too young, his pay was withheld, although it was later authorized and backdated to his enlistment. (Wikipedia)

Civil War Service

The 3rd Vermont Infantry formed part of the Vermont Brigade and participated in Major General George B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign in Virginia. Johnston accompanied the regiment as a musician, using his drum to communicate military signals and regulate the movements and daily routines of soldiers.

During the Seven Days Battles of June 25 to July 1, 1862, Union forces withdrew toward Harrison’s Landing on the James River. The retreat was exhausting and chaotic. Soldiers abandoned equipment as they struggled toward safety.

Johnston kept his drum.

When the troops reached Harrison’s Landing, Johnston was reportedly the only drummer in his division who had retained his instrument throughout the retreat. On July 4, he was therefore selected to drum for the division parade. Contemporary newspaper accounts subsequently described his conduct during the retreat as the reason he was recommended for recognition. (Wikipedia)

Johnston received the Medal of Honor on September 16, 1863. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records his rank as Musician, Company D, 3rd Vermont Infantry, and associates his award with gallantry during the Seven Days Battles and Peninsula Campaign. (Congressional Medal of Honor Society)

Medal of Honor Citation

Rank and Organization: Musician, Company D, 3rd Vermont Infantry Conflict: American Civil War Action: Seven Days Battles and Peninsula Campaign, Virginia Presented: September 16, 1863

Citation:

“Gallantry in Seven Day Battle and Peninsula campaign.” (Congressional Medal of Honor Society)

Historical records concerning Johnston’s award contain inconsistencies over the precise date of his action. Earlier War Department records even stated that the date and place of the act were not recorded. Contemporary accounts, however, connected the award directly with Johnston’s preservation of his drum during the retreat to Harrison’s Landing. (Kiwix Server)

Later Service

Johnston’s military service did not end with the Peninsula Campaign. He was later transferred to the Invalid Corps, subsequently renamed the Veteran Reserve Corps, and served as an attendant at West’s Buildings Hospital in Baltimore. While serving there, he played in the hospital band and was appointed drum major.

He later reenlisted in the 3rd Vermont Infantry at Brandy Station, Virginia, on February 15, 1864. Johnston remained in military service until being mustered out on August 31, 1865. (Wikipedia)

After the war, Johnston attended Norwich University and eventually worked as a machinist at the Boston Navy Yard. He lived well into the twentieth century, dying on September 16, 1941.

Johnston’s story remains extraordinary not simply because of his youth, but because his Medal of Honor recognized an act entirely appropriate to his role as a soldier-musician. In the confusion of a defeated army’s retreat, the eleven-year-old drummer refused to abandon the instrument that represented his military duty. He carried it to safety and, days later, used that same drum to sound the cadence for his division once again.