Frederick H. Dyer
| Frederick Henry Dyer | |
|---|---|
Dyer working on the Compendium
(from Des Moines Register and Leader, 1908)
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| Born |
July 2, 1849 Greenville, Connecticut |
| Died | September 21, 1917 (aged 68) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Resting place | Mount Hope Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Frederick H. Metzger |
| Occupation | Drummer boy, printer, writer |
| Known for | Author of A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (1908) |
Frederick Henry Dyer (July 2, 1849 – September 21, 1917) served as a drummer boy in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he wrote A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion – a complete record of every regiment formed under the Union Army, their histories, and the battles they fought in – taking forty years to compile.
Born in 1849, Dyer lost both his parents in childhood. In July 1863, at the age of 14, already two years into the civil war, Dyer and a friend ran away from school with the intention of joining the army. Although his friend's aunt provided guardian consent for him to enlist as a minor, Dyer's friend decided not to sign up. Dyer carefully assumed his friend's surname, Metzger, to avoid being traced and returned to school. On July 25, having passed the routine physical examination, he became a drummer boy in Company "H" of the 7th Connecticut Infantry Regiment.
Dyer continued to serve with Company "H" during the remaining two years of the war. It is unknown whether he actively participated in any fighting, and most likely would have helped the wounded during engagements. The 7th Connecticut was equipped with Spencer carbines in December 1863, making it better equipped to fight than those armed with the slower muzzle-loaded Enfield rifle.
The regiment saw action in several battles, during Dyer's service, including:
On July 20, 1865, the regiment was mustered out of service, the war having ended in April.
Dyer stopped using his false name after the war. He attended Russell Military Institute and Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven, Connecticut, reclaiming the education he left to become a soldier.
From the age of 18, he became a commercial traveller – an occupation he maintained for about fourteen years – moving between various cities in the states of Pennsylvania and New York. He moved to Philadelphia in 1870, where he manufactured and sold escutcheons to veterans. In 1875 he was married in Bridgeville, Delaware and moved to Pittsburgh until the fall of 1876, then moved to Washington, Pennsylvania. Whilst living in Washington he went into business with a H. Frank Ward, forming "Dyer and Ward – Printers, Stationers and Binders", which ran from 1881 until 1885.
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