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The Little Bugler: The True Story of a Twelve-Year-Old Boy in the Civil War

Product ID : 44169816


Galleon Product ID 44169816
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About The Little Bugler: The True Story Of A

Product Description Details the career of one of the youngest Civil War soldiers From School Library Journal Grade 5-8-As the author points out in his introduction, many of the soldiers who fought in the Civil War were below the minimum age of 18 for enlistment, some being as young as 10. Most of these youngsters were part of the musician corps, serving as buglers or drummers. Styple has written about Gustav Schurmann, a 12-year-old from New York who served as bugler to Generals Philip Kearny, David Birney, and Daniel Sickles. Unfortunately, Schurmann left no firsthand record of his military service, and Styple must rely upon mentions in other accounts and scant newspaper records of the boy who befriended young Tad Lincoln and visited him in the White House. In his introduction, the author acknowledges that most of the dialogue is fictionalized, although, "No history was invented or manipulated." The result is a strange hybrid of fiction and nonfiction, and the work isn't highly successful as either. Much of the dialogue seems stilted, and the characters never come to life; the battle descriptions are often dry and confusing. Not particularly well told, this portrait is a marginal account of the Little Bugler. Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review The amazing war experiences of Gustav Albert Schurmann are told for the first time in The Little Bugler: The True Story of a Twelve-Year-Old Boy in the Civil War. This is the tale of one of the youngest soldiers to serve in the Union Army during the war. Readers will follow Gus throughout his remarkable career, first as a drummer, and later as bugler and general's orderly. By the time his service ends at the age of 15, Gus has become a decorated veteran of 10 battles-including Gettysburg and Chancellorsville-and has served as bugler and orderly to four major-generals. Readers will find it equally remarkable to learn how Gus becomes acquainted with President Lincoln's admiring 10-year-old son "Tad," and becomes his boon companion. William B. Styple has produced a compelling account of the story of Gustav Schurmann in this book. -- The Star-Ledger, July 10, 1998. From the Author Recreating the life and times of a twelve-year-old soldier during the Civil War presented some challenges for me. On the one hand, I wanted to write a completely factual book, footnoted and documented for the scholarly reader. On the other hand, I wanted to present an informative and enjoyable story for young readers who might ask: What was life actually like for a twelve-year-old boy in the Civil War? In July, 1997, I visited the grave site of Gustav Schurmann in Woodlawn Cemetery, the Bronx, New York. The badly damaged government headstone was mostly sunken beneath the surface. Barely visible on the stone was the name "G.A. Schurmann." Behind this marker was the larger Schurmann-family headstone, now covered with dead ivy and long neglected. As I cleaned the grave site and placed a small American flag upon it, I decided that I wanted this book to serve as a tribute to Gustav Schurmann, the Little Bugler, and, above all, as a remembrance to all of the children who served in the American Civil War, 1861-1865. From the Back Cover This is the true story of twelve-year-old Gustav A. Schurmann who served as a musician in Company I, 40th New York Infantry, from 1861-1864. This book vividly depicts all of his remarkable wartime experiences, including his stay at the White House as the boyhood companion of Tad Lincoln. At the end of Schurmann's distinguished military career at age fifteen, he was a decorated veteran of ten battles-from Bull Run to Gettysburg. About the Author William B. Styple is a graduate of Catawba College, and operates a business in his native Kearny, New Jersey, where he is also Town Historian. He has edited and co-authored several works on the Civil War, including the acclaimed Echoes of the Blue & Gra