Across from the Abraham Lincoln & Civil war monument, you'll see a monument dedicated to The Civil War Boys.

Until well into the 19th century, western armies recruited young boys to act as drummers. Although there were usually official age limits, these were often ignored; the youngest boys, some as young as 9-12 years of age were not uncommon. Many were sometimes treated as mascots by the adult soldiers. The life of a drummer boy appeared rather glamorous and as a result, boys would sometimes run away from home to enlist.

The drums were an important part of the battlefield communications system, with various drum rolls used to signal different commands from officers to troops. In the noise and confusion of battle, it was often impossible to hear the officers’ orders, so each order was given a series of drumbeats to represent it.

Both soldiers and drummers had to learn which drum roll meant “meet here” and which meant “attack now” and which meant “retreat” and all the other commands of battlefield and camp. (The most exciting drum call was “the long roll,” which was the signal to attack. The drummer would just beat-beat-beat — and every other drummer in hearing distance would beat-beat-beat — until all that could be heard was an overwhelming thunder pushing the army forward.

Soldiers Walk is the largest contiguous Memorial Park in the United States dedicated to our Veterans and all those have served since the Revolutionary War.

The park is 1/2 mile long and has 23 memorials with 42 statues depicting American conflicts throughout our history.

The park is funded completely by private donations. The people of Arcadia donate their time and services to maintain the park.

Each year tens of thousands of people visit the park and on the first weekend of every August, the park hosts Ashley For The Arts, drawing crowds of over 30,000 for this event alone.

Please visit the website, where we will be completing a documentary on every memorial and conflict represented.

www.soldierswalkmemorialpark.com

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