'Drummer Boy of Shiloh' Saturday at presidential museum
Musical
performance tells story of youngest Civil War enlistee, prisoner of
war and battle hero
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[July 12, 2012]
SPRINGFIELD
-- The story of the youngest Civil War enlistee, who was
captured during the war and ultimately became a hero, will be told
during "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," a musical performance scheduled
for Saturday at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in
Springfield. Paid museum admission is required to see the
performance, which will be presented in two parts -- the first at 11
a.m. and the second at 1 p.m. -- in the museum's central plaza.
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Barry Cloyd, a well-known performer from the Peoria area, portrays
Joseph Henry Monroe, the youngest person to enlist in the Civil War.
Cloyd tells Monroe's story of how he became a drummer boy during the
Civil War, his capture at the Battle of Shiloh, his escape from a
prison camp and the eventual return to his regiment to fight in 26
more battles. After the war Monroe became a music teacher in Peoria,
and Cloyd recounts the effects that the war had on Monroe, his
marriage and his family. Monroe is buried in Springdale Cemetery in
Peoria Heights.
Cloyd's performance of "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" is set to
original music as well as popular songs from the time period. He
performs the songs on three different instruments during the show --
guitar, banjo and slide dobro.
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"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" is sponsored through grants from
"History Comes Alive," the Susan Cook House Education Trust and the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.
For more information about programs and exhibits at the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, visit
www.presidentlincoln.org.
[Text from
Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
file received from the
Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency] |