author
Henry Martyn Kieffer
1845–1930
A Civil War drummer boy turned minister and writer, he is best remembered for bringing his youthful wartime experiences to life in The Recollections of a Drummer-Boy. His books range from memoir and church history to hymn stories and light humor, showing an author with both historical curiosity and an easy, readable style.
1 Audiobook
The Recollections of a Drummer-Boy
by Henry Martyn Kieffer
About the author
Born in Pennsylvania in 1845, Henry Martyn Kieffer served in the Union Army as a drummer boy while still very young. That experience became the heart of his best-known book, The Recollections of a Drummer-Boy, a firsthand Civil War memoir that helped preserve the view from the ranks rather than from the generals.
Kieffer later became a clergyman and continued to write across several genres. In addition to memoir, he published works on hymn history, sermons, local and church history, and lighter collections such as The Funny Bone, suggesting a writer who could move comfortably between devotion, memory, scholarship, and entertainment.
Archival records also show that his papers included biographical material, photographs, and sermons, reflecting a long public and religious career. He died in 1930, leaving behind a body of work that still attracts readers interested in the Civil War, American religious life, and the small personal stories that history books often miss.