Was Patrick Murphy a Union Army drummer boy?

Question

I am trying to find out if my great grandfather was a drummer boy in the Union Army during the Civil War. His name was Patrick Dennis Murphy and he was living in Boston. I have a Civil War sword in my possession that I was told belonged to him.

pmcg · Answer

Richard, Given the birthdate of Sept 1852, Patrick would only have been 8 yrs. old in spring 1861 when the War started & 12 yrs. old in spring 1865 when the War ended.&#160; It would have been hard for him to pass as an 18yr. old & would have needed someone to sign to allow him to enlist if underage.&#160; With that said, there were some instances of underage boys serving but it was not common.&#160; I looked at the Patrick D Murphy that Jason mentions above - he is listed in the 62nd Mass Inf. which was in the process of recruiting in 1865 when the War ended & the recruits were mustered out in early May 1865.&#160; You can see he is listed as a 21yr. old laborer - hard to believe they would mistake a 12 or 13 yr. old as being 21yrs. - especially at the end of the War. He could have been enlisted under just Patrick or because he was underage, under an assumed name.&#160; Another consideration is, could his father have served?&#160; There are multiple men named Patrick Murphy & Timothy Murphy that served from Mass. in both the Army & Navy. It may be easier to trace him backwards.&#160; Find him on later census records - note his address & working backwards see if he is listed in the 1890 Veteran Schedules?&#160; These usually identify where they served.&#160; Can you trace him in city directories?&#160; This may help when looking at where he was living in 1890 & identify him on other. census records.&#160; Trying to identify which of the MANY Patrick Murphy's in Boston is your GGF is key.&#160; Did he marry?&#160; If his wife outlived him she may have applied for a pension & you could trace him by that.&#160; Do you have an obit for him that may have mentioned if he was a veteran or cemetery records my mention it.&#160; I can search newspapers if that would help. - Perhaps post a picture of the sword - is it a CW period sword?&#160; is it an officer's sword? an NCO sword? a musician's sword?&#160;&#160; I do a lot of CW research so will help if I can.

Rebecca Collier · Answer

Dear Mr. MacPherson, Please try How To: Add a Photo or Image to your Post or Comment to attach your image or How To: Contact Another User to send an email. We hope this helps!

Was Patrick Murphy a Union Army drummer boy?

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