The American Civil War: The Soldiers

Figure 1.--Many boys and youths served in both the Federal and Confederate Army. This is a stunning sixth-plate ambrotype photograph of a particularly young soldier who fought for the United States Army during the Civil War. The youth unfortunately is unidentified. He is, however, a wonderful case study of the thousands of youths who served in the War. This youth has an attitude that seems naively confident, perhaps slightly prideful as evidenced by his cocked kepi. He is obviously proud of his uniform and the pistol that he has tucked in his belt. Civil War soldiers normaly buttoned their jackets, but this boy wanted to disply his pistol. The youth is apparently a very green soldier. The image has light tinting and gilding of the buttons and belt-plate. It is contained within an ornate thermoplastic case that has a purple lining.

Fields] Many boys and youths served in both the Federal and Confederate Army. One author has suggested calling the American Civil War the Boys' War. Thousands of children were directly involved in the Civil War. Older boys served as soldiers. Many younger boys were also invoved, some boys as young as 11 years old. The younger boys generlly served as drummer or bugle boys. Commonly the drummer and bugle boys were 13-15 years of age. Both the Confederate and Union soldiers tried to look after the younger boys. In major engagements they were often sent to the rear when charges into fortifications were planned. In some cases they had to be forced to the rear crying. Such a scene is portrayed in the movie Glory. In addition, over 1 million boys of 17 or under served in the Federal Army alone. Beyond the use of very young boys as drummer boys and bugle boys, about 1 million boys 17 years of age and under fought with the Federal Army alone. Almost surely very large numbers of similarly aged boys fought with the Confederacy, although actual records are less available. Anither major contribution was made by Black soldiers. The most famous Black unit was the 54th Massachusetts. While the Confederates were outraged by the Federal use of Blacks, by the ebnd of the War they were considering the formation of their own Black units.

Volunteers

Many of the soldiers were volunteers. America at the onset of the War had only a small regulat army. All of the early battles were fought with volunteers. These volunteers had little military experience and thought that the Warwould be quickly resolved in a few months. Few had any idea of the horrors of battle or the apaling casualties that would result from the battles. The Federal Government only introduced conscription (draft) after the terrible losses from the early battles reated a need for replacements and made it clear that only a massive military effort would succeed in defeating the Confederacy.

The Draft

Casualties in Civil War battles, however, were so enormous that the draft had to be introduced for the first, but not last time in American history. The money-class could buy their way out of the War if drafted by paying a fee, often about $300. One individual that did was Teddy Roosevelt's father Roosevelt while admiring his father, was later quite embarassed about this. There was considerable ressistance to the draft. The most notable incident was the New Yorek draft riots (1863).

Motivation

Given the lethality of Civil War battle, one has to ask why the average soldier, often a youth, on both sides fought. An emense number of letters survive which help answer that question and many Civil War historians have accessed this resource. [McPherson, Fields]

Boys and Youths

Many boys and youths served in both the Federal and Confederate Army. One author has suggested calling the American Civil War the Boys' War. Thousands of children were directly involved in the Civil War. Older boys served as soldiers. Many younger boys were also invoved, some boys as young as 11 years old. The younger boys generlly served as drummer or bugle boys. Commonly the drummer and bugle boys were 13-15 years of age. Both the Confederate and Union soldiers tried to look after the younger boys. In major engagements they were often sent to the rear when charges into fortifications were planned. In some cases they had to be forced to the rear crying. Such a scene is portrayed in the movie Glory. In addition, over 1 million boys of 17 or under served in the Federal Army alone. Beyond the use of very young boys as drummer boys and bugle boys, about 1 million boys 17 years of age and under fought with the Federal Army alone. Almost surely very large numbers of similarly aged boys fought with the Confederacy, although actual records are less available.

Black Soldiers

A major contribution to the Federal victory was made by Black soldiers. The most famous Black unit was the 54th Massachusetts. While the Confederates were outraged by the Federal use of Blacks, by the ebnd of the War they were considering the formation of their own Black units. The ideas of Blacks outfitted in military uniforms and equipped with weapons, however, proved a step the Confederacy coukld never take, even in the final desperate months. The fear was so intense that for decades after the formation of the Boy Scouts, southerners prevented Blacks from forming Boy Scout units. There are two notable aspects about the participation of Blacks in the Civil War. First was the importance of the Black units in the War. There were few Black units in the first two years of the War, but as the Federals were having increasing difficulties recruiting replacements and draft riots took place, Blacks helped meet the Federal manpower needs and Black units made a major contribution to the War. About 0.2 million Blacks participated in the Civil War, many of whom were slaves who ran away or liberated by the Federal Army. Blacls came to make up 10 percent of the Federal Army. They also played a mjor role in the Federal Navy. The other notable aspect is the fact how little credit the participation of Black soldiers was given by both historians and in the popular mind. The literature of the War and afyer the turn of the 20th century, the mass media essentially wrote Black soldiers out of the Civil War. This did not begin to change until the 1980s.

Sources

McPherson, James. BookTV C-Span, October 12, 2002.

McPherson, James. Fields of Fury: The American Civil War (Atheneum, 2002). This well written book is aimed at younger readers. It includes many excerpts from the letters and dairies of young soldiers, both Federal and Confederate, helping to understand why they fought.

Created: 4:20 AM 12/4/2004
Last updated: 9:07 PM 3/3/2007