author
Henry Martyn Kieffer
1845–1930
Best remembered for his lively Civil War memoirs and warm, accessible religious writing, this Pennsylvania minister brought both humor and firsthand experience to his books. His work ranges from battlefield recollection to local history, giving readers a vivid sense of 19th-century American life.
1 Audiobook
The Recollections of a Drummer-Boy
by Henry Martyn Kieffer
About the author
Born in 1845 and living until 1930, Henry Martyn Kieffer was an American clergyman and author whose books reached across several genres. Reliable catalog and author pages confirm him as the writer of works including The Recollections of a Drummer-Boy, The Funny Bone, and Short Stories of the Hymns.
Kieffer is especially associated with The Recollections of a Drummer-Boy, a memoir based on his Civil War service as a young drummer boy. Other records also identify him as a pastor and note his work on church and regional history, including Some of the First Settlers of "the Forks of the Delaware" and Their Descendants, published with his historical introduction.
What makes his writing appealing today is its range: he could be reflective, historical, practical, and funny without losing clarity. For listeners who enjoy firsthand history, devotional context, or the voice of a 19th-century writer speaking plainly from experience, his books still have a distinctive charm.