Of Age: Boy Soldiers and Military Power in the Civil War Era

The book "Of Age" explores the impact of underage soldiers on the Civil War era America, highlighting their contributions and the challenges they faced. It reveals that underage enlistees comprised a significant proportion of both the Union and Confederate armies, and their presence had far-reaching consequences. The authors offer a comprehensive analysis of this topic from various perspectives, including military, legal, medical, social, political, and cultural. They argue that underage enlistment was a complex issue that involved households, the military, and the broader society, and it had a lasting impact on the history of children and youth in the United States.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 04 April 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

A groundbreaking exploration into the previously overlooked role of underage soldiers during the Civil War era in America. The youthful visages of boy soldiers stand out in Civil War photographs, their slender frames contrasting with the uniformed adults they stood alongside. However, scholars have largely neglected the significant presence of countless underaged youths who served as musicians, transported wounded soldiers from the battlefield, relayed messages, wielded weapons, and tragically lost their lives in both the Union and Confederate armies.

"Of Age" is the first comprehensive study to shed light on how Americans grappled with the unauthorized enlistment of minors in this pivotal conflict and the far-reaching consequences that ensued. Authored by Frances M. Clarke and Rebecca Jo Plant, this work offers a multi-faceted examination, encompassing military, legal, medical, social, political, and cultural perspectives, as well as a demographic analysis of this significant dimension of the war.

Clarke and Plant reveal that underage enlistees constituted approximately ten percent of the Union army and likely a similar proportion in the Confederate forces. However, their significance extends far beyond mere numbers. They introduce common but largely unknown wartime scenarios, such as boys who absconded without parental consent, leading to protracted conflicts between households and the military. Parents employed various arguments to reclaim their sons, while state judges and the US federal government engaged in heated debates over whether to discharge underage boys. Moreover, African American youths discovered that both Union and Confederate officers disregarded their apparent age when conscripting or employing them as military laborers.

In contrast, nineteenth-century Americans exhibited a surprising lack of concern regarding the potential impact of violence on young minds, readily accepting the presence of underage soldiers in battle. These young individuals became ubiquitous symbols of the US war effort, shaping popular memory for decades to come.

Through their meticulous research, Clarke and Plant have shed new light on an often-overlooked chapter of American history, challenging our understanding of the Civil War and its profound consequences. "Of Age" is a valuable contribution to the field, enriching our understanding of this pivotal period and its enduring impact on the nation.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197601044