Drummer boys go back hundreds of years. They were used in the Revolutionary War, but are most famous for their role in the Civil War. If you were too young to enlist as a soldier, you could join the army as a drummer boy. Some were as young as 12. Their main job was transmitting orders by way of their drums. Each order had a different “rudiment” which was a certain drum roll. A drummer boy needed to know up to 26 rudiments. Some were to signal “meet here”, “attack now”, or “retreat”. The most important was called “the long roll” which was a continuous drumroll that signaled attack. At this point, the drummer boy was to go to the rear to avoid getting killed. They now took on different roles. They might be a stretcher bearer. They looked for the wounded and administered medical care. They might work in the hospital, which could be gruesome for a teenager. You might have to hold a patient down as they had an amputation and then carry the severed limb to the pile outside.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/drummer-boys-played-important-roles-in-the-civil-war-and-some-became-soldiers/2012/01/31/gIQA3cKzRR_story.htmlhttps://www.thoughtco.com/civil-war-drummer-boys-1773732
Civil War Drummer Boy – Library of Congress
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