He ran away from home at just 13 to join the war and, now, more than 100 years later, the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War are honoring his service as a wartime drummer boy.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War pay tribute to the Civil War soldiers on the day set traditionally set aside for America’s war dead on Monday, Memorial Day. The first national observance of what would become Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868, then known as Decoration Day.
Christian Funck was 13 when he ran away from home and joined the Union Army as a drummer boy. By 14, he had been wounded in a Civil War battle and honorably discharged from his service in 1862.
The young boy, who was then living in Maryland, became very ill with pneumonia. Then 14 years later, Funck moved to the Punta Rassa area of Lee County because of his health issues, said Forrest Myers, commander of the SUVCW.
Funck was “proud” to be a member of one of the 22 families to have voted for the Fort Myers City Council for the first time ever, Myers said.
Funck eventually married, had four children and ran a bakery for nearly 50 years. His bakery was in the area of Second Street and Jackson Street near downtown Fort Myers.
Funck grew up to be a very charitable man, Myers explained.
“He supported everybody in the community, gave away all his wealth to the needy, funded a lot of good causes, died pretty much a broke man in a friend’s basement,” Myers said.
Funck is buried at the Fort Myers Cemetery will he was to be specially honored at the SUVCW’s Memorial Day tribute ceremony on Monday, May 25.
Drummer boys were an important part the Union Army, Myers shared.
The drums were used as important tools of communication to inform troops of the tasks required of them.
Drummer boys also often assisted surgeons by holding down patients during amputations and carrying away the severed limbs, in addition to several other important tasks to assist soldiers.
Thousands of drummer boys served in the armies, many of which were as young as 9 years old. Hundreds of these drummer boys were killed in battle, the SUVCW said.
“We feel the importance of remembering our past. Not everybody’s past has been great, but your past is what makes you who you are today. Your legacy and your future is what you are when you’re gone,” Myers said about why the SUVCW is hosting this tribute.
The Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at the Fort Myers Cemetery, the entrance of which is at Michigan Avenue and Murray Lane near downtown Fort Myers, on Monday, May 25. The event will begin at the flagpole on Murray Lane at 10 a.m.
The public is invited.
Attendees can also expect to experience a color guard, the playing of Taps and flowers placed on each of the 21 grave sites belonging to a Civil War veteran.
Tayeba Hussein is a breaking news reporter for The News-Press & Naples Daily News. Reach her at thussein@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Wartime drummer boy, 13 years old, honored at SW FL Memorial Day event
Reporting by Tayeba Hussein, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
