Jacob Metzger

Name: Jacob Metzger Company: F, F&S Veteran; Musician; enlisted in Company F; transferred to Non-Commissioned Staff as Principal Musician January 1, 1863; returned to Company F March 1, 1865.
Birth Date: 1843-1850 Place: New York	Mustered In Date: January 31, 1862 Rank: Private Age: 16 Residence prior to military service: New York; St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota Vocation prior to military service: Bell Boy
Death Date: unknown Place: unknown Burial: unknown	Mustered Out Date: September 6, 1865 Rank: Private Age: about 19 Residence following military service: Pleasant Avenue, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota Vocation following military service: unknown

"The Youngest Soldier"

A newspaper story was published on page 10 of the St. Paul Daily Globe on Sunday morning, March 17, 1889. In the article an anonymous reporter described his observation and encounter with two war veterans on "a motor" traveling between Third street and Twenty-eighth street -- most likely on Nicollet Avenue. One of the veterans was old and frail, the other, young and robust. The older of the two disembarked at Twenty-seventh street with the assistance of the younger, after which the reporter engaged the younger in conversation, though without revealing his identity.

"I was the youngest man enlisted from Minnesota," quoted the reporter in the article. "I was just twelve years old when I went into Company F of the Fifth Minnesota infantry as a private, and a wee bit of a shaver I was, too, to carry a gun. . . I was made drummer pretty soon, and the boys took good care of me. . . . I enlisted at Fort Snelling. I was chief musician of the regiment when I was discharged in '65."

When the reporter asked the young soldier's name, he replied, "My name is William Metzger. No, I never told anyone so it would go into the papers. I don't intend to either, because there are so many frauds about such things that people don't believe a man when he tries to spread his own story."

The reporter concluded his story with the remark that Metzger was "wholly innocent that he had told his own story where it would be told again."

Jacob Metzger Biography and Civil War Narrative

Jacob (William) Metzger was born about 1845 in New York. By the time of the 1860 U.S. Census, he was living and working as a Bell Boy at the American Hotel in St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota. On Friday, January 31, 1862, Metzger enlisted in Company F of the 5th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment at Fort Snelling.

On page 22 of the published Executive Documents for the State of Minnesota for the Year 1862, Musician Jacob Metzger is listed in the roster of Company F, 5th Minnesota Infantry. He is described as 16 years old and single, from Ramsey County. Also listed is the 16-year-old son of the company's Captain, Ebenezer Rice, who was also a Musician.

Company F was sent south in early May 1862. They reported to General John Pope near Corinth, Mississippi, on May 24, and were attached to the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division of the Army of Mississippi. They were put to work immediately, participating in the Siege of Corinth (May 26-30), including the Battle of Farmington on May 28. They also played an important role on the second day of the the Battle of Corinth (October 3-4) by turning back Confederates who had broken through the Union line. According to a personal statement by Metzger to the author of the above article, Sergeant Jake Pierce of Company F would occasionally carry Metzger on his back.

On January 1, 1863, Jacob Metzger was appointed Principal Musician of the 5th Minnesota Regiment and transferred from Company F to non-commissioned staff. From May 18 to July 4, 1863, the 5th Minnesota participated in the Siege of Vicksburg. According to Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars, Volume I, on July 1, 1863, Ezekiel Rose from Company B was appointed Principal Musician of the regiment, but Jacob Metzger continued as a member of the non-commissioned staff. Subsequent major activities of the 5th Minnesota included the Red River Campaign (March 10-May 22, 1864), and the Battle of Nashville (December 15-16, 1864). On March 1, 1865, Metzger was returned to Company F, just before the Campaign against Mobile, Alabama and its Defenses (March 7-April 12, 1865). Jacob Metzger was mustered out with the regiment on September 6, 1865.

After the war, Jacob Metzger returned to Minnesota where he apparently preferred to go by the name "William." In 1889 he lived on Pleasant Avenue in south Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. He had a son who was also a drummer. It seemes doubtful that Jacob Metzger was actually twelve years old when he enlisted as Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars, Volume I, lists his age as 16 and 19, and the 1860 U.S. census records his age as 15.

Information about streetcars in Minneapolis

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This page is maintained by Tim Bode (timbode@juno.com ). Page created on 1/2/2010. Last modified on 1/2/2010.