Boys at War

Union Drummer Johnny Jacobs; Library of Congress

We typically think of war as the work of adults.  Adults make the policies that lead to war.  Children should not be exposed to the death, destruction and moral ambiguity that results from armed conflicts. Today, all branches of the American military require enlistees to be at least 17 years of age (with parental consent).  But war hasn’t always been something that society has tried to shield children from.

The Civil War has often been called The Boys’ War because of the young ages of the combatants.  The average age of the Union soldier was 25.8 years (records for the Confederate armies are incomplete making it difficult to figure an average age).  Both armies had policies that required a minimum age of 18 to enlist*, but that was policy, not necessarily practice.  A determined young man or an unscrupulous recruiting officer could find ways to circumvent these rules, and they did so with alarming frequency.  Many of these children were initially enlisted as musicians, but when the fighting started, either by choice or circumstances they found themselves carrying a musket or picking up a ramrod.  The deadly hail of lead made no distinction of age when it found its target.

---

It is estimated that nearly 100,000 Union soldiers were under the age of 17 at the time they enlisted.  Of the 1,523 Medal of Honors awarded for meritorious conduct during the Civil War, 48 were awarded to children under the age of 18.  The youngest known Union soldier was Edward Black (born May 30, 1853) who was barely eight years old when he enlisted with the 21st Indiana Voluntary Infantry as its drummer on July 24, 1861.
​
This month, we will be exploring the role of children in the Civil War.  While this topic may be difficult, it provides valuable opportunities for parents and teachers to engage the children they may know in conversation.

Edwin Francis Jemison, 2nd Louisiana. Born December 1, 1844; enlisted May 11, 1861; Died July 1, 1862. Library of Congress

• ​What reason(s) could these children have for going off to war?
• How did what they experience shape them and their future?
• What did they gain and what did they lose in the experience?
• Are there things that you (as a child) or your children would be compelled to risk your lives for?
• Is a nation’s debt greater to child soldiers than to adult soldiers?
• Where and how are children around the world still involved in war?

*The Union Army’s minimum enlistment age was 18, and 17 for musicians.  Younger children could enlist with parental permission.  For the majority of the Confederacy’s existence, the minimum enlistment age was 18, but in 1864 that was lowered to 17.

​Sources and Further Reading

Child Soldiers in the Civil War

​Children in the Civil War

​The Boy's War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War by Jim Murphy