Teaching School Children about Drummer Boys in the Civil War

This is me with my friend John Saparito. John reenacts as Col. Robert Gould Shaw.  Col. Shaw was the commander of the first black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts. 

I talked to school groups that visited Frampton Plantation in South Carolina about Drummer Boys in the Civil War and John talked about Col. Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts.  

Drummers had three main jobs during the Civil War.  Sometimes they served as stretcher bearers which means that they carried wounded soldiers to safety so they could be treated by doctors.  Drummers also drummed out commands that could be heard over the fighting by the soldiers. Drummers also entertained soldiers.  Drummer boys were usually 11-14 years old but some were as young as 8 or 10. 

  

The drummer boy for Company C of the 54th Massachusetts was named Alexander Johnson.  He was at Fort Wagoner with the 54th.   He was called the Original Drummer Boy by Robert Gould Shaw. After the battle of Fort Wagoner he said "It was a hard fight, we lost our good Colonel."  The regiment lost almost half of it's men and all but one of their commissioned officers.  

Alexander Johnson 54th Massachusetts USCT

My trip to South Carolina and Georgia to be in a movie

I was in a Civil War movie called Unbreakable Bonds, the Civil War Series by Cape Fear Films. I was a Drummer Boy in the movie that will be released as a DVD.

It was filmed on the Pocotaligo battlefield in Yemassee South Carolina.  It is about the 54th Massachusetts a United State Colored Troops regiment.  Many people believe that the 54th was the first colored regiment to be in action but there were a couple of regiments of black soldiers including the North Carolina Colored Volunteers and the Corps d'Afrique.

The night before the filming, my mom and I went to Savannah and I got to see Sherman's headquarters.

Me in my uniform at Pocotaligo.

Me with the 54th Colored Troop reenactors.

Me teaching a school group about Drummer Boys during the Civil War.  I talked to about 8 school groups that morning. 

And I met an adorable puppy.  She is named Daisy and is a 7 month old Bloodhound.  She liked smelling the battlefield on me.  She smelled me so hard she kept knocking me over!  

I will be posting be posting blogs often about the trip.