Catagory: history
American Drumline Hero
Robert Henry Hendershot, became known as “the Drummer Boy of the Rappahannock.” Like Charles Gardner, he was a drummer boy for the Eighth Michigan.
His regiment was stationed near the Seventh Michigan during the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia. On December 11, 1862, the Seventh was trying to cross the Rappahannock River under fire. Robert answered a call for volunteers and ran to help push the boats. He had just crossed the river when a shell fragment hit his drum and broke it into pieces. With out missing a beat, he picked up a musket and began to fight.
Along the way he encountered a Confederate soldier, took the rebel as a prisoner and brought him back to the Seventh Michigan.
The story of a drummer boy capturing a man made the boy a hero. Robert survived the war and toured the Nation putting on drumming performances and telling of his experiences.