Los Angeles Times, January 8, 1930.
Philo L. Case, Drummer Whose Signal Started Battle of Shiloh, Mourned by Comrades
Philo L. Case, Civil War drummer, the man who sounded the long roll which started the Battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862, was buried in Los Angeles yesterday. A member of the Second Iowa Infantry on that fateful day, it was his signal that started the thunder of the guns from the Union batteries and sent the bayonets of the boys in blue slanting forward in the great conflict.
Yesterday afternoon a handful of his comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic gathered to do him last honors. The old songs were sung once more in quavering, broken voices.
“We Are Tenting Tonight, Tenting on the Old Camp Grounds,” and then came mournful taps and gray-haired men taking last look at their old comrade. The services were in charge of Stanton Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and were conducted at the Reed Brothers funeral parlors, 721 West Washington Street. Burial was made in Rosedale Cemetery.
To this drummer came great drama but probably nothing in his life so spectacular as that of starting a great battle which raged for days and in which thousands perished. He survived this conflict and served three years and six months before being mustered out. His death occurred New Year’s Day at the home of his son, L. D. Case of Glendale, at the age of almost 92 years, and was caused by ills incident to old age.
He had been a resident of Los Angeles for more than forty years and until six years ago resided at 46 Central Avenue. At many a G.A.R. reunion he drummed again for his comrades. He was active before he came to California in G.A.R. circles at his home town of Des Moines, Iowa, where he enlisted.
His wife preceded him in death in 1912. From Walla Walla, Wash., Livingston Case, a son, and Mrs. Electra Rogers, a daughter, came to attend the funeral, and from Altoona, Iowa, another daughter, Mrs. Nettie Saultite, made the long journey to do her father last honors. L. D. Case also was present. Mrs. Della Brown, another daughter of Phoenix, Ariz., was unable to be present.
