32. The Teenager Who Became the First African American Musician in the Civil War
When the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment (depicted in the movie Glory) was formed during the Civil War, fourteen-year-old Alexander H. Johnson of Boston enlisted as a drummer boy. The 54th Massachusetts being one of the Union Army’s first colored regiments, young Alexander was likely the first African American musician to enlist in the Civil War.
He saw significant service. He took part in the battles of Honey Hill, Boykins Mill, James Island, Olustee, and the siege of Charleston, was present at the murderous assault on Fort Wagner, and participated in Sherman’s march through the Carolinas. Alexander’s drum was struck by enemy fire six times, and he was wounded in the leg. He stayed with the 54th Massachusetts until war’s end and his discharge in 1865, when he returned home with the drum he had carried at Fort Wagner.