Orion Perseus Howe enlisted to fight for the Union in the US Civil War when he was twelve-years-old. He earned a Medal of Honor, America’s highest award for valor, at age fourteen. Below are some interesting facts about this fascinating young warrior.
A Twelve-Year-Old Soldier
Orion P. Howe was born in Ohio in 1848, then moved with his family to Illinois shortly before the Civil War. His father enlisted in 55th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment as its band leader when the conflict began. At age twelve, Orion and his younger brother Lyston enlisted as musicians in their father’s unit. In the years of service that followed, Orion was present at fourteen separate battles in which the 55th Illinois fought. His personal date with destiny arrived on May 19th, 1863, during the Siege of Vicksburg.
In an assault that day, the 55th Illinois made a charge that ended with them pressed close to Confederate lines. They wound up in a ferocious firefight that quickly exhausted nearly every man’s cartridge box. As ammunition ran low, it became critical to secure a resupply from the stocks in the rear. However, the 55th Illinois was situated such that anybody who its relatively covered position for the rear would have to cross hundreds of yards of relatively open ground that was swept by enemy fire. Hazardous as it was, somebody needed to cross that lethal ground or the whole regiment would be wiped out.
The Boy Who Saved a Regiment
The 55th Illinois’ regimental commander sought volunteers to make the dangerous dash. Orion was one of the soldiers who stepped up. The volunteers left cover and sprinted to the rear, up a rise swept by Confederate canister and rifle fire. One by one, they were killed, until only Orion remained, scrambling onwards to complete his mission. As the boy made his way through a storm of enemy fire, with bullets, shot, and shell throwing up puffs of shell all around, his comrades held their breath.
On numerous occasions, the men of the 55th Illinois thought Orion was a goner when they saw him stumble and fall, but he always got back on his feet to continue his mad scramble. Even after he was severely wounded in the leg, he stayed game and limped on until he crested a summit and disappeared from sight. Although he was heavily bleeding and groggy from loss of blood, Orion managed to locate General William Tecumseh Sherman, and informed him of his regiment’s dire need of ammunition. Impressed by the kid’s demeanor and determination, Sherman ordered him to seek medical care, and promised to see to it that Orion’s comrades received the necessary resupply.
Orion P. Howe After the War
General Sherman was so impressed by Orion that he recommended him in a letter to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton: “I’ll warrant the boy has the elements of a man, and I commend him to the government as one worthy of the fostering care of one of its national institutions”. It took Orion several months to recover from his severe injury and rejoin his regiment. He reenlisted, and after receiving another wound a year later at the Battle of Dallas, was discharged in late 1864 as a corporal. Howe wanted to attend West Point, but he was too young, so President Lincoln secured him an appointment to the US Naval Academy.
Howe started at the Naval Academy in July, 1865, slated to graduate in the class of 1870, but dropped out as a midshipman in 1867. He later studied at New York University Dental School, and after his graduation, settled in Springfield, Missouri, where he practiced dentistry for decades. Because of screw-ups at the War Department, he was not awarded his Medal of Honor until 1896, more than three decades after his exploits before Vicksburg. Orion P. Howe lived to the ripe old age of eighty one, before he passed away in 1930 and was buried in Springfield National Cemetery.
_________________
Some Sources & Further Reading
American Battlefield Trust – Orion P. Howe
History Halls – Young Warriors: John Lincoln Clem, the US Army’s Youngest Sergeant
