Charley: The True Story of the Youngest Soldier to Die in the American Civil War
Come to our March meeting, and hear how our Speaker, Brendan Lyons, learned about Charley, when he was in the Boy Scouts; and, about his Eagle Scout project to create a monument to Charley, as well as his journey to writing a book that is part narrative non-fiction, and part faithful reproduction of the story of the youngest enlisted soldier to die during the American Civil War. The story begins in West Chester, PA, on Charley’s 12th birthday, shortly before the start of the Civil War. Follow Charley as he prepares to go to war himself, against his parent’s wishes, then joins Company F, of the 49 th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and experiences grueling marches, bloody battles, loss, sickness, fear, and ultimately his own death. You will not want to miss witnessing this compelling story, and to learn all the details, you should buy the book, which is available at Barns and Noble, and Amazon.

Brendan Lyons
Brendan Lyons grew up in Downingtown, PA, and studied history education at Villanova University. He first learned of Charley King’s story in 2004 as a Boy Scout in East Brandywine, PA. One of his troop’s scoutmasters introduced Charley’s story to the troop. Though Charley was known to be the youngest soldier to die in the Civil War, his burial place was unknown and there was no monument in existence to honor his bravery and sacrifice. At the suggestion of Scout Leader Bob McGonigal and because of his fascination with American history, Brendan took up the cause of funding and building a monument to Charley for his Eagle Scout project.