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THE YOUNGEST CONFEDERATE SOLDIER SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MR. D. B. FREEMAN■JThere Were Drummer Boys and Aides Enough, but Here Was a Real Soldier Who Carried His Musket and Marched with the Men A Story of Southern Patriotism.D R_ FBHFIMAN Juu© 26 IS©Now that tli© annual reunion of con fed erato \ecerans is soon to take place at 11© KS\p question as to Who woa the joun^cHt sMller in tho southern army ia th* Xoio v.jr i* ooe ot moro than passing liitpreit.A list of all the younger and older ones If bucIi a thng could ho had who flfiurod In that mt muni e struggle on this side would be inter sting In illustrating tho atraJts to which the eouth was dr hen in gathering us rut* mg maleral It we* truly like robtb»x the cradle an I ibe i»raye In an ax tractive home of a rxuktern type La Cart erst 111© Ca. and engaged together with Mr II A ChapTnun In edit tig and publishing The Co u rant American, ftthrift.) we©k3 newspaper ll\ea Mr D B Freeman who with seeming unques tlonabte abow o-f justice l*s claim to the distinct on of bolng ihe youngeftt soutb-etnor who bore arms and filled the station of a full fledged soldierYes. I was there laid he when questioned about the matter and that lad tbero (pointing to hl9 ten year-old ion) is now ju*t th© qge I was when 1 entered the army I hate tr'ed to be modest about the matter and for twenty five 3 ears never voiuntftrfls mentioned tho fact ot way youthful connection with the army, not •uppoa’ng the public wonkl be ocmerned about what occurred to me to bo so Insig-niftcant a question. In recent years, how-JJWv anuidry claimant* have com* forward “ ^ P^en* Bom* ot these in tfc* ranksand fighting state their ages to hovo been fourlein thirteen and evtn twelve when they entered Drummer boss and ot K*r liXe attaches, not bearing anna, were oven OB youthful a* ieh. The }oungcat of the former claw? my own age eclipse* In youthfulneea and If tbo latter clas* whose valor and Important service I would» t for a moment d aeount were nv«*rt on irtdored, none nhow up jounger than tan— though there ere both a drummer hoy and colonel a orderly who went into the army at this age In my own town I saw *core« of boys In lighter actions In the army blit It Is on the length and scope of service that I would bane my claim and leave the older comrades and a rtisieniing public to Judge of the juitice of it. I experienced ail the phaeu of soldier life and was iu the service nearly three yea re Regarding Mr Freemans army connection the late Judge Fain his lieutenant colonel said I remember him well lie attracted unusual attention whorcver wo went on account of his size, but ho stood the hardships with amazing e*i dura nee Mr H F Lester now living at 11 Wil ILams street, this city say a I con truthfully say Mr Freeman was ‘ft active ser vice with the command, I well remember him ©specially through. Kentucky Thera might have been drum mar bo s younger than he but none who bore arms Mr A, B. Coggins an oUKr com rule, now at Canton On affirming his atory says I was In iho flame company with, him hla brother Mat was first 11 y tenant Vr« were together la the raid in KentuckyIn addition to these. Mi R. L. Sellers, of C'irtersv,lle and Dr 1 Y Rudisii of (Summerville surgeon and other survivors of the regiment, doubtless remember hla ecrvicea and would attest the truthfulness of his claims Mr Freeman could All a book with narratives of his experiences, his army Ilfs having a strong aroma of the romance of excitement permeating it at every period Ills entering the service was a chance proceeding more than the outcome of a preconcerted purpose Mat M. Freeman, a young drygoods clerk In this city receiving a war inspiration from his numbers hip In the Fulton Blues a loir*! military company early in helped to raise In a northGeorgle. county a company of cavalry for the confederate service. In. which he wai elected lieutenant. This company was attached lo Smith a legion, orgMiUicd atCamp Felton near Cartersville on the place of and named for Dr William H Felton Lieutenant Freeman had on Infirmity that he feared might hamper If not subdue h1s physical ability for service. To be of what assistance he might to him personally until whatever might should develop he carried his brother then ten years of aga Into camp with him, neither of them little dreaming the train or rough and trying service that was to be withstood by bothThe boy fell naturally Into camp Ilf© and acted as marker Id tbo few drilling days The legten was divided, the Infantry and cavalry battailous being recruited and made each a regiment. The latter became the Sixth Georgia cavalry and the younger, a3 well a* the older Freeman was, *oon dting full soldier duties, riding In tbo Tanks, messing With. Bleeping on the ground WlA and sbozing unci roam scribed the privation* with older comrades. VS hen arms were procured the youth was given a shprt xaher and a pair of tfUstols that henceforth dangles in tbetr bolsters at the front of kin saddle. Thus armed, and with ft gray uniform procured from a tailor at Knoxville,he nude a pSctureequa figure with the ns-totnt, which he accompanied fa 3» manyexciting exporterf'-'s through Kentucky and Ttnno^Hvi an 1 thoro *aa no cavalry ret Iment 1 ri the western army that did fiercer flhtlrg or had hard r **■% I 3 than, the Sixth Georgia. comm tinted by a man o£ aup«rlor dash find Impetuous courage Colonel John. R. 21 ct White Ji tho campaign of Tlrogg in K niue.kj iho 3 1 ithful G orgl in excited much lntcre6t among tl o n ithes Tin* old ladies lr. rural no ghhorhood*. rr-marking on hifl **ze were wont to overwhelm, him with npoci.il presents and ho hud enoughD K. FREEMAN As H© Appears Todayh ira-vmcte aocka and neck comforters to Fa\© cuyplied overy b ember of tho regiment in a Utile while.1«oltewixtg in© fortLnoa of the regiment up to th© campaign of Lcmjysireet, In east Tennessee liL had hero a chance to know the full meaning of cavalry life Mruty day* and. nights succe^nlvely in tho aaddte with engage man ta a mall and large swiftly foQowIra each, other was trying to the Btrongest courage and sturdiest phyfeiquta, but he withstood the grim realities of the situation with the same soldier fortitude as that shown by other companions.'*Tbe hottest engagement we ever hod I believe, * said he ‘was at a email rail way etntlon. We hod a small force and proceeded cautloilaly all day Intending tovtett the station and play taavoo with therailroad About dusk we drovo In some p ket» and dlsmountwl. and wi h a right oblique move tamed our gait Into a charge ar.t;lt; Ipatlrg only a little garrlbon In our front \t e started through, a narrow strip of woods and ran right Into a corps of federal infantry behind a fence who ro-wnwi their Are until wo were with in a few hur lrelt;l felt;*t of them A Hlngle volley from in nkei.s yjid the sweeping in.ll of grape shot from t battcr left dead j.nd wounded on the ground, until 11 looked like tiier© ^oro few to tell the tale It waa an awful b] aught er for th© few men we had engaged left It with tliem fcfoonreaehlni, our tior*-‘C3 and mounting w© 33-s imed a spanking gait up the Holston ftv r Although snow was several fc.et deep on the xround we rrnle ail night for te were in the enemy h country Cavalry service was more of a go as you-please strvit.e than infantry arui mucih Wqrk vs as rlor.e men In small bodies and de-tuchTitnta In 18C4 ioung Fwman waa T\lth a. comjuny doing escort h out and tlhlt;r fpeclai duty for General Joseph JJ Johniton on the retreat from Dayton to ■Ltlanta and thus saw much with a cloao eye 0 f that nota l»le move He whs In warm quartfrs In moflt of th© f*eorghi battles Mr 1-reeman j* now forty live years of iigi» Jlo ia Hdluunt of Bartow C imp I n t ^lt;t Con fed?rot© \eteranfl. Ho had »!x br If u'h \rt ih** war Ai J now cnmta w^iftt may not be an un Important ad lend a to this story AJexand r Murray ot Gordon countj his grand fata or at the age of «eve:ity Hght having peraed hi* country in two previous wirs cn l^tcd in the state imrpa In 131 and did lt;cr\teo for tho southern au e Could It not be said that he wfis the oldest sol dler of the cdbfederacytThia la tli© Test ”From The Covington G«_ EnterpFs©-Urcl© 01d Lewis of Tho fiparta iBhmae-llte ileciare© that tho next democratio nomine© for governor clt;iroe from what quarter of the elate ho may la going to eland squarely on the Georgia and Chicago piatXorma of 1£6. Thia la the test of democracy and tho man who can t stand it will have no footing In the convention and no eupport from the partyNew York Journal A. few construction* lots may be obi© temporarily to thwart the dcelr* of tno American poo**!* to give old to the Cuban patriots but guerilla tactic* will not succeed permanently In paralyzing tho arm of tbd« republic.THE HOME OF MR. D. R. FREEMAN, CARTERSVILLE, GA
Newspaper Details
Atlanta Constitution
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Sun, May 30, 1897
Page 15
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
FL, USA 02 Jun 2021
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