The fictionalized diary of a twelve-year-old boy who joins the Union army as a drummer, and ends up fighting in the Civil War.

Excerpts from the diary of William Bircher, a fifteen-year-old Minnesotan who was a drummer during the Civil War. Supplemented by sidebars, activities, and a timeline of the era.

"Presents excerpts from the diary of William Bircher, a 15-year-old Minnesotan who was a drummer during the Civil War"--

At the age of fourteen, Edwin Hale Lincoln left his Cape Cod home to enlist as a drummer boy with the Fifth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. During his service in the coastal regions of North Carolina, he recorded a number of aspects of army life. Comments on everyday affairs such as drills, mail and the arrival of the paymaster are mixed with coverage of the military action around New Bern and Kinston, North Carolina during the last part of 1862 and the first half of 1863. Lincoln was a highly intelligent individual, spending time studying while tending to his various duties in New Bern and Beaufort. After the Civil War, he became a famous photographer. Many of his works are still exhibited today. This intriguing book provides glimpses of an ordinary individual caught up in the actions of war, an individual who was destined for greatness well into the twentieth century.

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Excerpts from the diary of William Bircher, a fifteen-year-old Minnesotan who was a drummer during the Civil War.