THE GREENPOINT MONITOR MUSEUM - John Ericsson JHS 126 - May 2003

THE GREENPOINT MONITOR MUSEUM
"ROAD SHOW"
May 2, 2003

Presented At:

J.H.S. 126 - "JOHN ERICSSON SCHOOL"

Page - 5

Which is the Confederate and which is the Union Mascot?
You can tell by the uniforms of the Mascot's soldier friends
and the flags they are carrying.

Mascots had many duties.

"STONEWALL" was a Confederate Mascot. He was a Jack Russell Terrier.
He made his soldier friends laugh as he stood at attention with his pipe.
During battle he was placed in an empty ammunition box for protection.
Mascots tried to make their friends laugh during times that were
frightening and sad.

"SALLIE" was a Union Mascot. She was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
She went to battle with the Union's 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Army.
Sallie was at the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
with her fallen comrades licking the wounds of the injured and
standing watch over them. Sallie kept watch over her friends
for three days without food or water.
There is a statue in honor of Sallie in Gettysburg Battlefield.

Janice with Old Abe the eagle. Old Abe's mother was killed
by the Indians. Old Abe was a young eaglet at that time. Old Abe
was sold to a family as a pet for their children. The teenage
like eagle became a problem and was sold for $2.50 to the Eight
Wisconsin Volunteers as a mascot. Old Abe arrived in
Madison Wisconsin with his new regiment. As they marched
to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy, Old Abe grabbed at the
end of the flag with his beak and flapped his wings. Everyone
was impressed by this majestic sight.

Lithograph by Don Troiani - Eagle of the Eighth

Old Abe took part in 37 battles next to the flag
as shown in this lithograph.

Old Abe became an orphan when Old Abe's mother was killed.
After the war Old Abe participated in parades with the
Civil War Veterans. Old Abe helped the Veterans
raise money to care for the Civil War orphans
whose fathers were killed during the War.

John is looking for new recruits.
Even nine year old boys tried to join the Civil War.

"JOHNNY CLEM"

Johnny Clem was born in Ohio in 1851. After his
mother died, he ran away from home to join the army.
He discovered that the army was not interested
in 9-year-old boys, but he still tagged along.
The men adopted him as their drummer boy.
As he was not officially enrolled in the army,
the officers chipped in to pay his $13 a month salary.
He later was officially enlisted intoCompany C, 22nd Michigan,
and received his own pay. At the Battle of Shiloh
his drum was smashed by cannon fire. After this battle
he became known as "Johnny Shiloh". At the
Battle Of Chickamauga, Johnny rode an artillery caisson
to the front and held a musket that was trimmed to his size.
A Confederate officer ran after the cannon he rode with,
and said, "Surrender you damned little Yankee!"
Johnny fired his musket, wounded the officer and took
him prisoner. After this battle he was called the
"Drummer Boy of Chickamauga". President U.S. Grant
appointed Johnny to the Army military academy at
West Point, but Johnny did not have the neccessary
academic background. Since he had been fighting
the Civil War instead of going to school, Johnny
failed to pass the entrance exam. In 1871
President Grant decided to appoint Johnny
as a 2nd lieutenant with the 24th Infantry-a black unit.
Johnny retired from the army in 1915 with the rank
of major general. Johnny Clem died at the age of 85
in San Antonio, Texas in 1937. He was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

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