15. Gaining the Unfortunate Distinction of Being the Youngest Soldier Injured During the Civil War
During his extensive service, Edward Black was wounded more than once. In one instance, when he was twelve years old, he was grievously injured when an exploding shell shattered his left hand and arm. The injuries earned Edward the unfortunate distinction of being the youngest Civil War soldier injured on active duty. At war’s end, Edward and his unit remained in Baton Rouge as garrison troops, until January 1866, when the 1st Indiana Heavy Artillery was finally mustered out, and its personnel were discharged.
Edward Black never fully recovered from the injuries he received during the war, nor from the mental trauma of what he had been exposed to at such a tender age. He died in 1872, when he was seventeen, and was buried in Indianapolis. His drum was passed on down his family over the generations, before it was finally gifted to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. There, it remains on display to this day as one of the museum’s most prized and popular exhibits.
Read More: Tragic History of the U.S. Child Warriors.