Talented Tuesday: Abram F. Springsteen and His Civil War Drum, Part 1

Drum of Abram F. Springsteen, youngest Civil War soldier. Posted with permission of family.

Helbling Family, Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

Artifacts are an important part of our family’s history. They tell the story of what was cherished, and what was well used in the workday world. Some objects tell both stories, such as the above drum of Abram Furman Springsteen (1850-1930).

Previous posts have discussed the life of Abram Springsteen and how he ran away from home to join the Union Army as a drummer boy. But how did he get to that point at the ripe old age of ten?

Apparently, from a very young age Abram loved to bang on things with a stick. Kitchen pans, “wash boilers,” pails, or anything that would make a sound that pleased his ears became a drum to him. He actually had the talent to produce a rhythmic beat, unlike many toddlers. By the age of six his talent was so good that his family would “exhibit him as an infant phenomenon at church entertainments and Fourth of July celebrations.”

Abraham Lincoln 16th U.S. President (1861–1865), via Wikipedia. Public domain.
Abraham Lincoln 16th U.S. President (1861–1865), via Wikipedia. Public domain.

Little wonder then, that when the call to arms came from President Abraham Lincoln in April of 1861, the enthusiasm of boyish war games took hold of Abram, and he ran away from school. He found a recruiting officer who would pay him to beat his drum outside the office, hoping to get the attention of strapping young farmers and laborers coming into town for supplies; he also got the attention of schoolboys and businessmen, and helped to increase the number of men enlisting for Union service in the Civil War.

Jefferson Springsteen (1820-1909) must have remembered his spirt of adventure at the same age- he had, after all, run away from home to join the circus- and he and his wife Anna (Connor) Springsteen (1824-1887) were probably hoping it was just a phase.

However, as Abram saw the young men go into the recruiting office as farmers, laborers, etc., and come out as soldiers, his yearning to be a part of their company would have increased to dangerous levels for a ten year old. School could never be as exciting as what was going on in the real world, and Abram hatched a plan to be a part of that excitement.

To be continued…

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. “Hoosier Youngest Civil War Soldier,” by Louis Ludlow, in The Evansville Courier and Press, Evansville, IN, page 4, columns 1-3, via GenealogyBank.com.
  2. “Wash boilers” are just what they say they are- a big sheet metal pan for boiling clothes as part of the washing process. Many of them were oval with high sides, and antique wash boilers are often used to hold magazines or firewood inside. Copper wash boilers are especially beautiful and coveted as they have a fantastic patina after years of being put over a fire.
  3. “Diary of Abram F. Springsteen” transcription, done by family members. Thank you for sharing!

 

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Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
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Workday Wednesday: Abram Springsteen and his Civil War Drum, Part 2

Drum of Abram F. Springsteen, youngest Civil War soldier. Posted with permission of family.

Helbling Family, Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

Yes, his parents must have truly regretted the day they bought Abram Furman Springsteen a drum.

Jefferson Springsteen, his father, was probably the one who went to get Abram from the Army office where he was ‘drumming up’ recruits for the Union, and dragged him back to school, where a ten year-old boy belonged.

But Abram persevered with his drumming to recruit soldiers. And Jeff went back to get him again, and took him back to school.

At first, at the age of ten, Abram likely thought he could do his part for the war effort by his drumming. By the time he turned eleven on 5 July 1861, though, ideas were probably constantly swirling through his mind of the glory of battle and the brotherhood of soldiers forged only by fire. By October, the desire to become a soldier was so strong that once again Abram ran away, but this time he acted on the plan he had made- he enlisted in the 35th Indiana Volunteers, Company A, as a private.

And again, Jeff and Anna Springsteen went to take their child from the military and back to home and school where he belonged. They probably knew he would run away again- his father’s genes for adventure had surely been passed to young Abram. The 35th was to be a Home Guard to protect Indianapolis, so Abram’s parents finally agreed to allow him to stay.

Civil War Regimental Fife and Drum Corps, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. (Click to enlarge.)
Civil War Regimental Fife and Drum Corps. We don’t know if Abram is in this picture or not, but he probably was much shorter than the men in this photo. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons. (Click to enlarge.)

We don’t know if Abram took his own drum, or was more likely issued a federal drum that he could use as he marched at the front of the column of Indiana Volunteers. He learned the various drum rolls that were used as commands on the march and on the battlefield, and would have practiced with the men as they drilled in ranks; he may have even helped stand watches or run errands for the officers. Abram’s life continued in this vein for two months, until the end of the year. On 31 December 1861, the inevitable happened- his regiment was ordered to be transported to the frontlines. Upon learning of this, Abram’s parents, Jefferson Springsteen (1820-1909) and Anna (Connor) Springsteen (1824-1887) requested his discharge. The Army was not about to lose a warm body, however, no matter how short or how young, and they refused to muster him out. Abram did not want to go back home anyway.

The family was distraught, including his six siblings. (We know that Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower was especially worried, as they were close.) The federal government continued to prohibit Abram from mustering out because he was underage, arguing that his parents had signed with permission at his enlistment. Their reply that they thought the enlistment was just for the Home Guard fell on deaf ears.

Desperate measures were required.

Abram’s law-abiding parents kidnapped him.

They locked him inside the house.

Do you remember anything about Jefferson Springsteen from previous posts, and his jobs in Indianapolis? They include being the first Chief of Police in Indianapolis, a Detective, etc. through the years. So kidnapping his son and going against federal law must have been a tough thing for him to do. But it was his son, and Abram was just too young to go off to war.

What a handful Abram was- he continued to run away, be caught, be locked in the house again; and repeat. What was a parent to do?

To be continued…

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. “Hoosier Youngest Civil War Soldier,” by Louis Ludlow, in The Evansville Courier and Press, Evansville, IN, page 4, columns 1-3, via GenealogyBank.com.
  2. “Diary of Abram F. Springsteen” transcription, done by family members. Thank you for sharing!

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.