A BRAVE DRUMMER-BOY.–

A BRAVE DRUMMER-BOY.–

Orion P. Howe, of Waukegan, Illinois, drummer-boy to the Fifty-fifth Volunteers of that State, was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Naval School at Newport. The following extract from a letter, written by Major-General Sherman to Secretary Stanton detailing an incident which transpired during the assault upon the rebel works at Vicksburg, on May 19th, doubtless secured the boy’s promotion:

“When the assault at Vicksburg was at its height on the 19th of May, and I was in front near the road which formed my line of attack, this young lad came up to me wounded and bleeding, with a good, healthy boy’s cry: ’Gen. Sherman, send some cartridges to Col. Malmborg; the men are nearly all out.’ ’What is the matter, my boy?’ ’They shot me in the leg, sir, but I can go to the hospital. Send the cartridges right away.’ Even where we stood, the shot fell thick, and I told him to go to the rear at once, I would attend to the cartridges, and off he limped. Just before he disappeared on the hill, he turned and called as loud as he could: ’Calibre 54.’ I have not seen the lad since, and his Colonel, Malmborg, on inquiry, gives me his address as above, and says he is a bright, intelligent boy, with a fair preliminary education.

“What arrested my attention then was, and what renews my memory of the fact now is, that one so young, carrying a musket-ball wound through his leg, should have found his way to me on that fatal spot, and delivered his message, not forgetting the very important part even of the calibre of his musket, 54, which you know is an unusual one.

“I’ll warrant that the boy has in him the elements of a man, and I commend him to the Government as one worthy the fostering care of some one of its national institutions.