Both the Union and the Confederacy enlisted child soldiers during the bloody US Civil War that lasted from April 12, 1861, to May 9, 1865. Many of the children served with distinction and returned home. Others were not so lucky and paid with their lives.

10 Edwin Francis Jemison

The portrait of Confederate Private Edwin Francis Jemison is one of the most famous photographs of the Civil War. He was born on December 4, 1844, and enlisted in the Confederate 2nd Louisiana Infantry in May 1861 when he was 16. The photograph for which he is remembered was taken soon after his enlistment.

Edwin’s first encounter with the Union Army was in April 1862 when his unit faced enemy troops in the Battle of Dam No. 1 in Virginia. His second encounter was in the July 1, 1862, Battle of Malvern Hill, which remained the deadliest battle of the Civil War until it was superseded by the Battle of Antietam.

The Confederates lost about 5,500 soldiers during the battle while the Union lost half of that number. Jemison became part of the Confederate casualty list when he was hit by a cannonball while charging toward Union lines.^[1] He was five months to clocking 18.

9 John Lincoln Clem

John Lincoln Clem was born John Joseph Klem, but he swapped “Joseph” for “Lincoln” in reverence for President Abraham Lincoln. In 1861, at age 10, John fled from home to join the Union 3rd Ohio as a drummer.

The 3rd Ohio turned him down for being underage, and he left to join the 22nd Michigan, which turned him down for the same reason. Undeterred, he tagged along with the 22nd Michigan, which later adopted him as a mascot and drummer, although he was only allowed to enlist in 1862.^[2]

John Clem swapped his drum for a musket during the September 1863 Battle of Chickamauga, where three bullets pierced holes in his hat. He strayed from his unit during the battle and was spotted running back to his lines by a Confederate colonel who chased after him and demanded his surrender.

Rather than surrendering, he shot and killed the colonel, who had referred to Clem as a “Yankee Devil.” The incident earned him a promotion and the nickname “The Drummer Boy of Chickamauga.” He was discharged from the army in 1864. But he rejoined as a second lieutenant in 1871 and retired as a brigadier general in 1915.

8 Elisha Stockwell

Elisha Stockwell first enlisted in the Union Army during a recruitment drive in Jackson County, Wisconsin, when he was 15. His father disapproved of his enlistment, which caused the recruiters to remove Elisha’s name.

Undeterred, he fled with a Union soldier who was a friend of his father and had come home on leave. Before taking off, Elisha visited his sister and told her he was going downtown. She told him to return early for dinner.

Elisha did, two years later.

During his second enlistment, he told the recruiter that he could not remember his age although he thought he was 18. The recruiter knew Elisha was younger than 18. Still, the man listed Elisha’s age as 18 and his height as 165 centimeters (5’5″)—a height he only reached two years later.

Elisha saw a dead man for the first time in the 1862 Battle of Shiloh when he stumbled on a dead, disemboweled soldier with his back to a tree. According to Elisha, the encounter made him “deadly sick.”

He also saw his first action in that battle when he joined a downhill charge toward Confederate lines. When the charge was called off, half the men in his unit were either dead or wounded.

For the first time, Elisha realized that his decision to run away from home was foolish because warfare was no joke. He returned home after the war to learn that only three (including him) of the 32 men and boys from his hometown who had left for the war had lived.^[3]

7 William Johnston

William Johnston is the youngest recipient of the Medal of Honor. He was born in July 1850 and enlisted in the Union 3rd Vermont Infantry as a drummer in May 1862.

He participated in the “Seven Days” battle that lasted from June 25 to July 1, 1862, in which his unit was forced to retreat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s forces. Confederate troops followed and fired at William’s unit as it retreated, forcing many soldiers to dump their weapons and drums.

Only William had his drum when the entire division, which included the 3rd Vermont Infantry, was mustered for an Independence Day parade on July 4. So he played for the entire division.

President Abraham Lincoln was so impressed with William’s resolve to hold onto his drum when the older soldiers dumped their weapons and drums that Lincoln awarded William the Medal of Honor. At age 13, William is the youngest recipient to date.^[4]

6 John Cook

John Cook enlisted in the Union 4th United States Artillery as a bugler when he was 15. He participated in the deadly Battle of Antietam where his battery was attacked by Confederate infantry.

His battery suffered about 17 wounded or dead during the first wave of the assault. The wounded included the commander, Captain Campbell, whose horse was killed. Injured survivors were targeted by enemy fire as they attempted to retreat to the rear, but John managed to drag the captain back there before returning to commandeer a cannon.

He was joined by the division’s commander, Brigadier General Gibbon, who loaded and fired the cannon like a regular soldier. Meanwhile, the Confederates made three unsuccessful attempts to capture the cannons.

The third attempt was the most dramatic as they got within 3–5 meters (10–15 ft) of the cannons. At the end of the fight, the battery had 44 men and 40 horses dead or wounded.^[5] John Cook was awarded the Medal of Honor for his efforts, making him the youngest artillery soldier to ever earn such a distinction.

5 Robert Henry Hendershot

Robert Henry Hendershot was 10 when he joined the Union’s 9th Michigan Infantry as a volunteer drummer in 1861. He took the drumming craft with unusual seriousness for an ill-mannered rascal who regularly fought with his mother and skipped school to pelt train passengers with fruits.

However, he was only allowed to enlist in the unit in March 1862. It was from this moment that his accounts of the war became divided between truths, exaggerated truths, and outright lies.

He reportedly killed a Confederate colonel during a siege in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where he was captured and freed during a prisoner exchange. He reenlisted in the 8th Michigan as Robert Henry Henderson on August 19, 1862, but found his way into the 7th Michigan instead. There, he claimed to have taken the surrender of a Confederate soldier in the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Trouble started in August 1891 when veterans of the 7th Michigan denied that Robert was ever in Fredericksburg. They stripped him of the title “The Drummer Boy of the Rappahannock” and claimed that the real drummer boy was either John T. Spillaine or Thomas Robinson.^[6]

Meanwhile, the 8th Michigan claimed that it was Charles Gardner. Robert only got his title back after several notable people, including President Abraham Lincoln and General Ulysses S. Grant, intervened.

4 Charles Edwin King

Charles Edwin King holds the record of being the youngest fatality of the Civil War. He was born on April 4, 1849, and enlisted as a drummer in the Union’s 49th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers on September 12, 1861. He was 12 years old. His father opposed his enlistment but gave in on the assurance of Captain Benjamin Sweeney, who promised to keep Charlie away from the front lines.

Charlie first saw action in the Battle of Williamsburg, where the Union Army was routed from the Virginia Peninsula by Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s troops. Charlie saw combat again in the September 17, 1862, Battle of Antietam, which remains the deadliest battle of the Civil War.^[7]

Estimates vary, but the casualty rate is believed to be at least 22,720 troops: 12,400 from the Confederate side and 10,320 from the Union. This doesn’t include civilians who died of disease after the battle and the 6,300 soldiers who died in a prelude to the battle three days earlier.

The battle would also be Charlie’s last as he was seriously wounded when shrapnel from a Confederate shell exploded close to him at the rear lines. The shrapnel passed through his body, causing extensive injuries that turned fatal three days later. He died on September 20, 1862, at age 13.

3 Frederick Grant

At age 12, Frederick Grant, the son of Union General Ulysses S. Grant, followed his father to war. Frederick camped in his father’s tent and was allocated his own horse and uniform. General Grant barred the boy from visiting the front lines, but he still did, at least until a Confederate soldier shot him in the leg.

Frederick’s low point of the war was the Battle of Port Gibson, where the Union suffered 131 dead and 719 wounded. Frederick visited the battlefield after the fighting and helped to gather the dead. This horrendous task made him sick, and he quickly left to join other soldiers bringing the wounded to a makeshift hospital. The sight at the hospital was worse, and the horrified boy left to sit by a tree.^[8]

A report by someone else who also visited this hospital after the battle stated that its yard was filled with a heap of amputated arms and legs. According to the person, seeing that was worse than seeing dead people, as it evoked in him very deep feelings he had never felt before.

2 Edward Black

Edward Black enlisted in the Union 21st Indiana Infantry as a drummer at age eight, making him the youngest person to ever serve in the United States Armed Forces. Like other drummers, Edward was always at the front, where he played his drums to lead and direct the troops. This made him and other drummers perfect targets for enemy soldiers willing to disorganize the unit.

Edward was captured during the Battle of Baton Rouge and imprisoned on an island in the Gulf of Mexico. But he regained his freedom when Union forces captured the island and nearby New Orleans.

After President Lincoln banned the use of child soldiers in 1862, Edward was discharged and returned to his Indianapolis home with his drum. However, the trauma and injuries he sustained during the war haunted him so badly that it probably contributed to his death at age 18. His drum currently sits at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis where it remains one of the museum’s most prized artifacts.^[9]

1 Abel Sheeks

Abel Sheeks fled his Alabama home to join the ranks of the Confederate Army when he was 16. With the Confederates short on uniforms, Abel had to wear his blue shirt and trousers (which resembled the Union’s uniform) into battle. That continued until a colleague asked if he wanted to be mistaken for a Union soldier.

After each engagement, Abel scoured the battlefield to scavenge uniforms from dead Confederate soldiers of his size. According to him, he hated doing it but was left with no choice. In a few weeks, he had a full Confederate uniform.

Training for military life was hell for the boys at the Confederate camps. Drills were the centerpiece, and shooting practice was almost nonexistent because guns and ammunition were in short supply. This meant that many Confederate soldiers received their shooting lessons right on the battlefield.^[10]

Drills at the Union camps were no better. One Union boy who had endured enough of the boring, repetitive actions during his first drill told the drill sergeant, “Let’s stop this fooling and go over to the grocery.” The drill sergeant did not take kindly to his suggestion and ordered a corporal to “drill him like hell.”

Oliver Taylor is a freelance writer and bathroom musician. You can reach him at [email protected].

On August 15, 1945, the Japanese people heard the voice of Emperor Hirohito for the first time. Through a recorded message over the radio, Hirohito declared that the war was lost without saying explicitly that Japan had surrendered.

While millions of Japanese knew that day they were defeated in World War II, many in the military fighting in Asia and on far-flung islands in the Pacific did not receive the news for a time—or refused to believe it when they did.

10 Sakae Oba

Stationed on the island of Saipan, Captain Sakae Oba was a veteran of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) who had served since 1934. In summer 1944, Japan’s troops on the island numbered about 32,000 as the US military arrived for a decisive battle.

The Battle of Saipan commenced on June 15. Hopelessly outnumbered, the Japanese fought tenaciously for a few weeks with virtually no thought of surrender. At least 90 percent of the Japanese died or committed suicide. The battle officially ended on July 9.

But Captain Oba, in charge of a medical company, did not give up and led several dozen soldiers into the jungle. He refused to disobey orders to fight the Americans to the death or die honorably. From their jungle strongholds, Oba and his men conducted guerrilla warfare against the US Marines trying to secure the island.

Unaware of Japan’s surrender the next summer, Oba and his dwindling force soldiered on until the end of November. He finally surrendered on December 1, 1945, after a former IJA general brought to Saipan was able to convince him the war was finished.^[1]

9 Ei Yamaguchi

Some of the bloodiest fighting during the Americans’ island-hopping campaign in 1944 took place on the island of Peleliu. The Americans put an overwhelming force into the field to wrest the island away from about 11,000 Japanese defenders. Among the Japanese hell-bent on winning or dying in the process was IJA Lieutenant Ei Yamaguchi.

The Battle of Peleliu began on September 15, 1944. The American aerial and naval bombardment preceding their landings was only marginally successful as the Japanese made skilled use of the mountainous terrain and abundant caves for their defense. The US Marines endured heavy casualties before the battle was declared an American victory more than two months later.

Of the Japanese forces, all but a few dozen were killed or captured. Unswervingly loyal to his duties, Yamaguchi took about 33 men deep into the cave complexes and periodically skirmished with the Marines for a few years. Yamaguchi’s band did not surrender until ordered to do so by a former Japanese admiral on April 27, 1947.^[2]

8 Shoichi Yokoi

On July 21, 1944, the US began a large-scale attack to reclaim its former possession of Guam, which had been under Japanese control since December 1941. The ensuing Battle of Guam lasted until August 10 of that year and claimed the lives of more than 18,000 Japanese soldiers.

However, a small number of Japanese fighters not only survived but kept their freedom. Among them was a junior enlisted man named Shoichi Yokoi.^[3]

Aided by the dense cover of Guam’s jungle vegetation, Yokoi isolated himself and excavated a cave for his living quarters. A tailor in civilian life, Yokoi used his nimble fingers to make not only clothes but also hunting and fishing implements necessary for his survival.

Amazingly, he lived largely undisturbed until January 24, 1972, when he was captured by locals checking river traps. Yokoi returned home to much fanfare, albeit to a Japan vastly different from the one he departed three decades earlier.

7 Yamakage Kufuku

As Japan’s defeat became likely in early 1945, US forces closed in on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Situated just 1,220 kilometers (760 mi) from Tokyo, it would become a strategic base for the Americans to launch major air raids on the Japanese mainland.

The Battle of Iwo Jima^[4] began in earnest on February 19 following massive bombing of the well-entrenched 20,000 Japanese troops. Tens of thousands of US Marines landed and engaged in several weeks of intense, often horrific, combat on the way to the victory declared on March 26.

Nearly all the Japanese died fighting or succumbed to illness or injuries. But two men who worked as machine gunners did not. Their names were Yamakage Kufuku and Linsoki Matsudo.

Incredibly, the pair was able to hide in caves in close proximity to American forces and did so without detection for nearly four years. They not only survived but appeared well-fed from stolen American food stores when apprehended on January 6, 1949.

6 Noboru Kinoshita

As US forces advanced closer to the Japanese home islands, it became more difficult for the Japanese to give their troops a fighting chance with deliveries of men and materiel. In particular, troop ship losses were staggering as they were sunk frequently by the US Navy.

One Japanese serviceman who lived through a troop ship sinking was Noboru Kinoshita.^[5] Making his way onto the Philippine island of Luzon, he hid in the nearly impenetrable jungle and ate what he could find, like monkeys and reptiles. He avoided capture for 11 years. Once in custody, he committed suicide, believing that a return to Japan would bring him unbearable shame.

5 Bunzo Minagawa

Bunzo Minagawa arrived on Guam in 1944 as one of thousands of Japanese soldiers sent there to repel a massive American invasion. The Japanese failed, and most of their troops were killed in action, particularly after a futile “banzai charge.”

Minagawa was among the scarce survivors and found refuge under Guam’s jungle canopy, beginning an odyssey to avoid capture which lasted 16 years.^[6]

Minagawa was joined by another enlisted man in Masashi Ito. The two men survived mainly by stealing food from the natives, including their cattle for slaughter, as well as scavenging useful items from American military dumps. They maintained this lifestyle until they were captured by locals in 1960 and returned to Japan.

4 Hiroo Onoda

The US military returned to liberate the Philippines in 1944 after nearly three years of occupation by Japan. The fighting continued unabated weeks past the war’s official end a year later.

As the Philippines comprises several thousand islands and the IJA communications infrastructure was now unreliable, some Japanese military personnel did not know of Japan’s surrender or simply dismissed it as unimaginable.

Among the holdouts in the Philippines, the most famous became Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda. He had been assigned to the island of Lubang late in 1944 to destroy American equipment and facilities. Onoda was given orders not to surrender or commit suicide.

Displaying an unrelenting devotion to duty, Onoda fought on in the mountains with three comrades for many years, sometimes killing the natives. He held out until 1974, when his former commander was flown to Lubang and issued direct orders for him to surrender.^[7]

3 Yuichi Akatsu

Not all Japanese soldiers who refused to surrender continued to fight or hide indefinitely. One such IJA member was Yuichi Akatsu, who spent a few years terrorizing Filipinos on Lubang with the aforementioned Onoda.^[8]

Although just a private and subject to the orders of Onoda, Akatsu struck out on his own in 1949 and turned himself into the police some months later. Before returning to Japan, he helped the authorities search for Onoda and two other men, but they all evaded arrest.

2 Nitaro Ishii

Nitaro Ishii was one of a group of four soldiers who survived in the mountains on the Philippine island of Mindoro for several years with virtually no contact with others.

In 1954, they befriended some isolated villagers in their vicinity.^[9] The group’s relationship with the villagers was mutually beneficial, especially with the Japanese exchanging a homemade alcoholic brew for salt.

In fact, the relationship progressed to the point that Ishii was supposed to marry the chief’s daughter. Before the nuptials could be carried out, though, the four holdouts were located by the authorities and sent home.

1 Teruo Nakamura

Not all IJA soldiers were Japanese. Some, for instance, came from Taiwan, then a part of the Empire of Japan. One of them was Private Teruo Nakamura.

Nakamura was stationed on the Indonesian island of Morotai in 1944 when Allied forces attacked and eventually overcame the Japanese resistance.^[10]

Along with an unknown number of holdouts, Nakamura disappeared into the island’s rugged interior, eventually living alone and fending for himself. He was discovered in 1974, the last confirmed IJA holdout. He returned home to a Taiwan independent of Japan and died a few years later.

Patrick lived in Japan for 13 years and enjoys reading and writing about all things Japanese.

Getting drunk is never technically a good idea, but it’s definitely a popular pastime for many of us. If you’re a responsible drinker, then that’s okay! Don’t drive, don’t hurt yourself, don’t hurt anyone else, try not to text your coworkers and things should work out fine. But we’re not here to talk about the responsible drinkers.

There are some people in the world for whom getting drunk is an even worse idea than normal. Doctors, for instance. Pilots. And soldiers. There are a few soldiers in history who should have stuck to milk. 

10. General James Ledlie Got Drunk Before the Battle of the Crater 

In the military, you have a command structure. Many people are on the bottom and a few are on the top. You hope that, at the very top, the person in charge of how the military runs, and how a battle unfolds, is smart, calm, and sober. That’s not always the case, and it wasn’t at the Battle of the Crater in 1864.

The battle took place during the Civil War, and General James Ledlie was a former engineer working with the Union Army. Before his involvement, there was an ongoing issue with Petersburg in Virginia, which became known as the Siege of Petersburg.

A colonel came up with an idea to end the siege by digging a mine and filling it with explosives. This would blow up enemy lines and clear the path to the city. General Grant was ready to use the explosion to seize the town and declare a victory. A day before the mission, the unit selected to lead the charge was replaced by the unit run by Ledlie. He got the job by drawing straws.

Ledlie was not a good soldier if the fact he’s been described as a “drunken coward” is any indication. 

Four tons of explosives went off, the biggest explosion in history to that point. It created a 130-foot by 75-foot crater. It was also 35 feet deep. Many soldiers died instantly, and the force stunned others. Ledlie was drunk and hiding in a bunker when he was supposed to lead the charge. His men ran right into the crater instead of around it. The result was a bloodbath. Thousands died and Ledlie, who never joined the fight, was dismissed from service.

9. Van Zandt County Tried to Secede, Then They All Got Drunk and Captured

Back in the 1860s Texas was all about seceding. Or it was an idea that was popular at the time, at least. But not everyone was on board with that plan and, so the story goes, the people of Van Zandt County voted to secede from Texas. One of those “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” scenarios. 

The county tried to secede first when Texas left the US during the Civil War and then again but this time not just from Texas, but from everything. The county formed its own rebellion and declared war on the United States. 

Because of the rural location of the county, troops could not reach Van Zandt to quell the uprising so after war was declared, no one fought back. That was essentially a win by forfeit and what do you do when you win? You celebrate. So, everyone in the Free State of Van Zandt got drunk.

The next day, federal soldiers moved in and pretty much arrested the entire drunken county. Some of them escaped but by that time the idea of war was not floating anyone’s boat so they settled back in as proper American citizens.  

8. Soviet Soldiers Drank the Cooling Alcohol Needed for the Mig25 

Russians have a bit of a reputation as heavy drinkers and stories like this one will not change that perception at all. Back in the Soviet days, Russian troops had jets called the Foxbat, or the MiG-25. These were interceptors and recon jets and they were as fast as anything. But they were also nicknamed the Flying Restaurant. 

The MiG used alcohol for a lot of things. It was a hydraulic fluid; it cooled the engines; it de-iced the planes and because it was so important they kept a hell of a lot on board. There was a 132-gallon tank of it on board and Soviet troops were known to dip in and drink some when the opportunity arose. The fact that they ended up giving it a nickname ought to be some indication of how often it happened. 

7. Three Russian Soldiers Got Drunk and Blew Themselves Up at a BBQ

In 2023, three soldiers on a supply run in the middle of the Russian war with Ukraine decided to have a stopover at a house party, complete with a barbecue. The group was three out of five who had a few days to head out for supplies and used their downtime to get a little drunk and grill up some meat.

At some point, the drinking led to arguing. While two soldiers left, the three that remained pulled out a grenade and things got out of hand when it went off, killing all three of them. It’s not clear how or why it went off. Whatever the reason, it’s a solid demonstration of why you shouldn’t get into drunken fights with people who have grenades. 

6. US Soldiers in WWII Mixed “Torpedo Juice”

With a name like torpedo juice you know this has to be good. Or horrifying. Or maybe both. In any case, in the modern world, you can go to a bar and order a torpedo juice right now. What you should get is a simple cocktail made of alcohol and pineapple juice. The basic makeup can change a little — maybe you want rum, or vodka, or gin. Who knows? But that’s it. Two parts booze to three parts juice. So what does that have to do with torpedoes?

Back in WWII, sailors on submarines were more hard up for drinks than most since, you know, they were underwater. A sub didn’t have a ton of storage space for booze at the best of times and, if they were on a mission, what little they might have had would inevitably run out. But the torpedoes on board used 180 proof grain alcohol as fuel, and it was more or less drinkable.

Once the Navy found out sailors were pinching the booze, they tainted it with croton oil to make it give the men cramps and diarrhea, and, well; they underestimated how much a man in a metal tube under the sea wants to drink. They simply had to distill the booze over again, remove the oil, and add juice to taste. Thus, torpedo juice was born. 

5. Charles Jenkins Got Drunk and Defected to North Korea

Some people make terrible decisions when they get drunk. And then there’s Charles Jenkins who defected to North Korea. That ought to put all of your poor decisions in perspective.

Jenkins was stationed along the border between North and South Korea in 1964 when he was just 24. After 10 beers, he told his squad he’d heard a noise that he was going to check out and that was the end of that. He surrendered to North Korean officers because he was afraid of being sent to Vietnam. 

Once in the country, he got to spend seven years studying the writing of Kim Il-Sung until he memorized it, in Korean. They also cut off his army tattoo with scissors. They forced him to marry a Japanese woman who had also been held against her will. They eventually fell in love for real and when North Korea released some Japanese prisoners years later, Jenkins’ wife was one. He, and their children, were later allowed to join her. That was in 2004, 40 years after his arrival.

4. A Town Escaped Destruction in the Thirty Years War Because of a Drinking Contest

You have to respect someone who can perform an incredible feat of strength, endurance, or drinking. It’s just hard not to. The mayor of the German town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of those people who deserves respect. He saved the entire population of his town because he was an absolute monster at drinking wine. 

In 1631, during the Thirty Years War, a Catholic named Count Tilly planned to sack and destroy the protestant town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The people tried anything to get him to leave but there was only one deal he was willing to make. They had given him a tankard of local wine that held 3.25 liters. If anyone in town could chug the whole thing, he’d leave. 

The mayor, with the powerhouse name of Bürgermeister George Nusch (Burgermeister basically means mayor), took up the challenge and downed that remarkable volume of wine in a single gulp. And, being a time of honoring one’s word, the Count left the town as he found it. 

3. A Spanish Invasion Ended When the Invading Brits Got Too Drunk at a Winery

In 1625 things in Spain could have gone badly for the locals if not for the fact Brits really like to drink. A pair of noblemen had convinced Charles I that invading Spain would be a fine idea and maybe they’d get rich off of Spanish gold at the same time. One man, George Villiers, had a beef with the Spanish who hated him so much on his previous visit that they’d asked the King to execute him.  So they hatched a scheme and set off for Spain.

Nearly everything that could go wrong did. Storms forced many of the ships back and also were avoided by the Spanish so there were no ships to loot. The British were running out of food and water and had to land at a city sacked years in the past that had long since improved its defenses – Cadiz. 

The British couldn’t get past the wall so they plundered the abandoned buildings outside. There was no food, but they found stores of wine and proceeded to get incredibly drunk. By the time the Spanish arrived, all the British were drunk. Those that could escaped, and over 1,000 were slaughtered, probably still very inebriated. The expedition returned to England with nothing.

2. In 1916, Thousands of Drunken Aussie Soldiers Caused a Riot

Australia is known as a pretty tough place and the Aussie population are no strangers to enjoying a frosty, adult beverage now and then. They’re also known as a sometimes unruly bunch, which may explain the events of the 1916 Soldier’s Riot.

About 3,000 Aussie troops stationed in Sydney were already displeased with their lack of space, lack of leave time, and lack of alcohol in the canteen. Someone then informed them, on Valentine’s Day, that they were going to be doing four and a half hours more of training per week, putting them over 40 hours total. The men did not approve.

The Australians immediately left camp and went on strike. 3,000 of them headed into Liverpool, a small suburb of Sydney, and trashed the place. They broke into businesses, filled anything they could with alcohol, and trashed anything that sounded German. 

The events turned violent, soldiers clashed with police and at the end of the day several were injured and one man died.

The events of the day ended up leading to a report on the military camp in Liverpool which suggested liquor should not be provided to soldiers from local hotels or public houses.

1. During Their Celebrations After the End of WWII Russia Ran Out of Vodka

Back to Russia for one last tale of absolutely epic drinking that seems like an impossible feat. There was once a time, at the end of WWII, when Russians ran out of vodka because they drank it all in celebration of the end of the war.

The end of the war was announced on the radio at just after one am on May 9, 1945. The entire country went ballistic and, a mere 22 hours later when Stalin made his address to the nation, no one had an ounce of vodka left to their name. Reports said no one had any left in stock on the 10th. 

People were in the streets in pajamas getting drunk and everyone seemed to be getting drunk with everyone else, even those who never normally drank. In fairness, production had been limited because of the war so there was already less vodka in the country, but the celebration ensured that everyone had to start from scratch to get new stuff.

If you ever want to waste a few hours of your day on a frustrating task, try to find the last time in history during which no wars were being fought anywhere in the world.  It’s extremely hard to do and some folks suggest there actually hasn’t been a time when there was no war. Depressing!

With so much fighting afoot in our history it stands to reason many people have been involved in that fighting. In modern times, there’s an official process for this in most countries which require citizens to enlist so they can be formally recognized as soldiers. But not every formally enlisted soldier is exactly who you think they are.

10. Wojtek Was a Soldier in the Polish Army… and Also a Bear

Animals and war have a long history. Horses were used well before we have motorized vehicles, elephants had their day, and dogs still show up in fields of war all around the world. But most of those animals are not officially recognized as actual soldiers with rank. Some, however, rise above.

A Syrian brown bear named Wojtek was given the rank of private in the Polish army during WWII. It was a group of POWs that first discovered the baby bear in Iran as they traveled through the mountains from Siberia to Egypt. They carried the bear with them, feeding and caring for it, even as their release was negotiated and they were sent to Italy to fight with Allied Forces.

Wojtek grew up with the soldiers, even learning to smoke and drink beer, which are obviously not the best habits for a bear to have. It also learned to carry ammo boxes during battles on the front line though soldiers later stated it was only carrying spent shells, not live ammo.

The bear also learned how to salute and march. He wrestled and boxed and played soccer, too. He became the company’s morale officer, after a fashion. They even took on a bear holding an artillery shell as their insignia. He was eventually promoted to corporal.

After the war, the company went to Scotland, and Wojtek joined them. He helped around a farm and continued to play with his comrades until the company disbanded. Wojtek spent the rest of his life playing and chilling in Scotland, including enjoying the occasional cigarette and beer.

9. A Six-Year-Old Girl Was Enlisted in the Royal Navy in Australia

The armed forces of any country are subject to a seemingly endless chain of rules and edicts and procedures. There are codes of conduct, formal definitions and regulations and all kinds of red tape and bureaucracy around even the simplest of things. Some of it is remarkable nonsense, too. But at least the same nonsense can be manipulated in a pinch.

In 1920 there were strict rules for the Australian Navy regarding who could and could not be on board a military ship. For instance, under no circumstances was a woman allowed on board, although the Navy itself simply says “civilians” could not board. This would not have been a problem until the day Nancy Bentley was bit by a snake.

We all know Australian snakes are not to be trifled with. Nancy was just six-years-old and a snake bite could easily have been lethal for her. Worse, she and her father were nowhere near a hospital. But they were close to HMAS Sydney, an Australian warship.

Nancy’s father rowed her to where the ship was docked and begged for help. Captain Hayley knew regulations would not permit the girl’s treatment on board. But it would allow for a sailor to be treated. The captain ordered the girl to be formally enlisted into the Navy and she was brought on board.

The girl was given the rank of “mascot” and received first aid treatment before arrangements were made to get her to a proper hospital. Nancy made it to Hobart and survived her ordeal. Eight days after being enlisted she was officially discharged.

8. Just Nuisance Was an Official Sailor in the Royal Navy

Several dogs have saved lives during wartime and performed heroic acts that were later officially recognized. But the Great Dane called Just Nuisance seems to be the only one to officially make it into the British Royal Navy.

The dog was raised in Simon’s Town, South Africa, near a British naval base. The sailors were fond of the dog and would often walk him and feed him treats. He would often sleep on the gangplank of the HMS Neptune. Because he was so large, almost 6.6 feet when standing on his hind legs, this made him a nuisance to get around, hence the name.

So how did Nuisance become enlisted? Because he was a nuisance. The dog wanted to go on shore leave with the soldiers when they traveled to Cape Town. But train officials hated having the dog on board and started sending threatening letters to his official owner. Some included threats to put Nuisance down.

The sailors, who loved the dog, took this up the chain of command. They didn’t want to lose the dog either and their commanding officer, intent on keeping up morale, found a solution. The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy enlisted Nuisance. This meant he was entitled to free travel on trains so the rail company couldn’t complain about unpaid fares for the massive beast.

His enlistment included full paperwork where his first name was listed as “Just” because it couldn’t be blank. He was given a medical exam and signed it with his own paw print. His official rank was Ordinary Seaman and though he never saw combat, he proved an valued member of the Navy on land. So much so, in fact, he was later promoted to Able Seaman. 

Nuisance had an accident when he was seven and the Navy was forced to put him to sleep. He was given full military honors including a Royal Marine firing party. 

7. William Windsor Was a Goat in the British Army

While some animals do well and get promoted through the ranks, that’s not always the case. A goat named William Windsor actually got demoted for his behavior as a soldier in the British Army. 

William, also called Billy, was a Lance Corporal with the First Battalion Royal Welsh, could not keep in step during a parade in honor of the Queen back in 2006. He was demoted to Fusilier.

Billy was not the only regimental goat, of course, as monarchs have been presenting them since Victoria’s time in honor of a goat that is said to have led Welsh soldiers from the Battle of Bunker Hill. In 2022, Lance Corporal Shenkin was on hand for the Proclamation of King Charles. 

6. Donald Duck Was an Army Sergeant

We can safely agree now that animals serving in the military is not super unusual. That means we need to kick it up a notch with an animal that isn’t even real. We need to talk about Sergeant Donald Duck.

As you may have noticed, Donald Duck has always been dressed as a sailor. This dates all the way back to 1934. By 1941 he was officially drafted into the US Army, as opposed to the Navy where he seemed like he would have fit in, though he found a place there later. In 1942 he appeared in military cartoons as part of the US propaganda machine during WWII. Disney had been losing money and a government contract to make films promoting their war efforts paid the bills. 

Disney produced several military and patriotic cartoons featuring Donald as an example of a solid American, even paying his taxes in what sounds like just a fascinating and exciting premise for a cartoon.

Donald also became an honorary member of the Navy and the Marines. Though he may not have been in the Air Force, his face appeared on the side of many planes. In 1984, 50 years after being enlisted, the director of Army staff officially gave Donald his discharge papers and released him from service. This was after his final promotion to the rank of sergeant.

5. Calvin Graham Joined the US Navy at Age Twelve

The youngest veteran in US history, Calvin Graham was only 12 when he joined the Navy. Graham had left home at age 11 back in 1941. He sold papers to support himself and so regularly read news of the war. The attack on Pearl Harbor convinced him to enlist.

To sell the lie, Graham began shaving, trying to get stubble. He faked a deeper voice and then forged papers signed by his mother and stamped with a stolen notary’s stamp. Things almost worked until the medical when the dentist saw his baby teeth and tried to give him the boot. Graham countered they had already let in 14-year-olds and he’d rat them out if he wasn’t allowed in, too. It worked.

Graham became an anti-aircraft gunner on the USS South Dakota. He helped shoot down 26 planes at Guadalcanal. Later, the Dakota took heavy damage and Graham got a face full of shrapnel, but he lived and helped his fellow soldiers. 

His mother saw footage of the vessel’s return. She called the Navy about enlisting a child and they responded by stripping Graham of his medals, dishonorably discharging him and throwing him in the brig. It wouldn’t be until 1977, after years of hardship and additional service and injuries, that President Carter overturned the discharge and restored his medals.

4. Momcilo Gavric Was a Soldier at Age Eight

You’ve probably heard a tale or two about a soldier signing up for service before they were 18. This was something that happened with some regularity during WWII. Children as young as 14 scammed their way into service by lying about their ages and we saw how Calvin Graham served at 12. Technically this is both illegal and frowned upon, as we don’t want children putting their lives on the line. But child soldiers are far from unheard of. One of the youngest ever was Momcilo Gravic, a Serbian soldier at 8.

As World War One was starting, Gravic’s village was attacked and his entire family killed alongside everyone else. Alone, the boy headed out to find the Serbian army. They took him in and, moved by his story, officially admitted him to the division. Three times a day he was to fire a cannon to avenge his family. 

Gravic stayed with the soldiers through many battles, even sustaining his own injuries. He attained the rank of corporal. At age twelve, when the war was over, his commanding officer gave him one last order. Head to London and finish school. 

3. Jean Thurel Was a French Soldier for Nearly a Century

You expect most soldiers to be young and physically fit if nothing else, it probably helps during the physical part of war like trying to not be shot or exploded. But there is certainly room for people with more years and experience in command positions. You want a general who has been through some stuff in charge, not a kid who just read about it. But how experienced are we talking about? In France, it’s very experienced.

Jean Thurel was still busy soldiering when he was 100. In 1787, King Louis XVI awarded him the Médallions des Deux Épées for the third time. It was given to honor 24 years of service. He joined the French military in 1716 when he was 18 and served during four separate wars. He was still serving in 1804 when he was 106.

2. Monte Gould Was America’s Oldest Basic Training Graduate

Joining the military is typically a young person’s game these days. Fresh out of highschool is when many sign up, or soon thereafter. But it doesn’t always play out like that. Monte Gould is an absolute exception, having graduated from the US Army’s basic training course at the ripe, old age of 59.

Gould is a Marine and Army Reserve veteran and went through boot camp for the Marines back in the late 70s. He finished the modern BCT in 2020 in the top 10% despite his age, proving sometimes experience and skill beat youthfulness when it counts. But he was also quick to point out that it was a hell of a lot easier in his old age and Marine boot camp would be impossible now.

1. The Mormon Battalion Was the Only Faith-Based Regiment 

Faith and military service have gone together for a long time but typically in a mostly pragmatic way. There are army chaplains but military service is not guided by any particular religious principles. In US history there has only ever been one entirely faith-based regiment – the Mormon Battalion.

In 1846, migrating Mormons appealed to the US government, and directly to President Polk, to help them. A man named Jesse Little proposed the President could use the Mormons to defend and fortify the West in exchange for aid. The President agreed and ordered the raising of a 500 man battalion. They would fight in the Mexican War. The Mormons agreed.

Though the battalion saw no combat, they endured one of the longest and most grueling marches in military history across 2,000 miles. They also had one official battle against wild cattle.