John Lincoln Clem (August 13, 1851 â May 13, 1937), famously known as Johnny Shiloh, was a United States Army general who served as a drummer boy in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He gained fame for his bravery on the battlefield, becoming the youngest noncommissioned officer in Army history. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1915, having attained the rank of brigadier general in the Quartermaster Corps; he was at that time the last veteran of the American Civil War still on duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, although others similarly aged and experienced such as Peter C. Hains and Albert A. Michelson rejoined the military after World War I started. By special act of Congress on August 29, 1916, he was promoted to major general one year after his retirement.
Clem became a national celebrity for his actions at Chickamauga. Armed with a musket sawed down for him to carry, Clem joined the 22nd Michigan in the defense of Horseshoe Ridge on the afternoon of September 20. As the Confederate forces surrounded the unit, a Confederate colonel spotted Clem and shouted either âI think the best thing a mite of a chap like you can do is drop that gunâ or called him a âdamned little Yankee devil,â according to various sources. Rather than surrender, Clem shot the colonel and successfully made his way back to Union lines. For his actions, Clem was promoted to sergeant, the youngest soldier ever to become a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Army, and became known as the âDrummer Boy of Chickamauga.â
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