Augustus Meyers

Augustus Meyers (1841–1919) was an American soldier during the Civil War best known for writing Ten Years in the Ranks, U.S. Army, an account of his life in the military. The book is an important historical document that contains many unique descriptions of practices that would otherwise be unknown. Augustus was the first to write about the training he received at the School of Practice on Governor's Island, New York, where Army musicians were trained.

Ten Years in the Ranks, U.S. Army was originally published by Stirling Press in 1914 and that edition was reprinted by Arno Press in 1979.

Military career overview

After joining the Army at the age of twelve in 1854, Augustus served for five years in the territories as a musician. Later after reenlisting for a second five-year term, he served in the color guard for the 2nd Infantry Regiment and became the youngest sergeant in his company at age twenty-one. He was detailed as brigade commissary sergeant. Later in the war, during the battle for Petersburg, Augustus was appointed acting ordnance sergeant.

At the end of the war, with the support of the commander Col William F. Drum, Augustus was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry, also known as Duryee's Zouaves after Colonel Abram Duryée, the original commander of the regiment. Although so commissioned, Augustus was not officially mustered in, choosing to return to civilian life instead. Nevertheless, he was permitted to participate with the group's veterans' association. In 1888, he served as a Vice Chairman of the dedication committee for the unveiling of the bronze statue of Gouverneur K. Warren at Little Round Top, Gettysburg. General Hiram Duryea served as the chairman. At the Battle of Gettysburg, Warren was acting as Chief Engineer for the Army of the Potomac and was directed to Little Round Top by Meade. His initiative during the battle in saving that key position earned him the name "the hero of Little Round Top." The statue by Karl Gerhardt rests on the exact spot where Warren stood when looking over the field on that day. At an earlier time, Warren had commanded the 5th New York. He took over command after Duryée was promoted to the rank of general. The Fifth New York veterans' association funded the creation of the statue.