author
Delavan S. Miller
1849–1917
A Union drummer boy turned memoirist, he wrote vivid firsthand accounts of the American Civil War that bring camp life, marches, and battlefields close at hand. His best-known work, Drum Taps in Dixie, looks back on the war through the eyes of someone who lived it while still very young.
1 Audiobook
Drum taps in Dixie : memories of a drummer boy, 1861-1865
by Delavan S. Miller
About the author
Born in 1849 and dying in 1917, Delavan S. Miller is remembered for writing from personal experience about the Civil War. His memoir Drum Taps in Dixie: Memories of a Drummer Boy, 1861–1865 was published in Watertown, New York, in 1905 and draws on his service as a drummer boy in the 2nd New York Heavy Artillery.
Miller's writing stands out for its direct, approachable voice. Rather than offering a distant overview of the war, he focuses on what it felt like to be a young participant moving through camp routines, long marches, and major campaigns. That firsthand point of view gives his work lasting appeal for readers interested in everyday life during the conflict.
He also wrote A Drum's Story and Other Tales, a later volume that continued his interest in war memories and storytelling. Today his books remain of interest to Civil War readers because they preserve one veteran's personal recollections in a clear and engaging way.