Child soldiers of the American Civil War

The American Civil War, fought from 1861 to 1865, was and remains to this day the most devastating event in the history of the United States.

This national tragedy of unimaginable proportions claimed over 600,000 lives and left millions more wounded.

Almost everyone, including children in the United States, was affected by the American Civil War, especially in the South. The horrors of the civil war changed the lives of children in countless ways. Many of them had to grow up earlier than they would ordinarily have done and a great number of them even joined the army and fought alongside the other soldiers in many battles.

It is estimated that over 250,000 of the participants in this conflict were under 18 years old and many of them weren’t much older than 10. Almost overnight, these boys (both black and white) were compelled to act like adults and most of them even lied about their age and joined the army without their parents’ permission.

The youngest among them usually got the roles of drummers and messengers, but those who were slightly older were sent to fight in some of the most important battles of the civil war and played a crucial role on the battlefield.

Unidentified young African American soldier in Union uniform. LOC

Unidentified young drummer boy in Union uniform. LOC

Drummer boy Johnny Jacobs in Union uniform with cup.. LOC

Unidentified young drummer boy in military uniform playing drum. . LOC

Powder monkey by gun of U.S.S. New Hampshire off Charleston, S.C. . LOC

Photograph shows a group portrait of seamen gathered around a mounted gun. The young boy seated on the gun is possibly the powder monkey. LOC

Unidentified young soldier in Union infantry uniform with Hardee hat and musket. . LOC

Edward (William) Black (1853–1872) was a drummer boy for the Union during the American Civil War. At twelve years old, his left hand and arm were shattered by an exploding shell. He is considered to be the youngest wounded soldier of the war.

However, most of them could not even imagine what was really happening at the front and were shocked to discover that the war was not the big adventure they thought it would be.

One such boy was 15-year-old Elisha Stockwell Jr, who fought in the battle of Shiloh and later wrote: “As we lay there and the shells were flying over us, my thoughts went back to my home, and I thought what a foolish boy I was to run away and get into such a mess as I was in. I would have been glad to have seen my father coming after me.”

Some of those who were between the ages of 11 and 14 served as “powder boys” or “powder monkeys.” Their role was to ferry gunpowder from the powder magazine to the cannons.

Among the little drummer boys, the name of John Clem, nicknamed “Johnny Shiloh,” is probably best known. He ran away from home at the age of 9 and accompanied the 22nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry.

Carte of Sergeant John Clem armed with a rifle and bayonet.

Clem was involved in the Battle of Shiloh and reportedly almost lost his life when his drum was destroyed by a fragment from a shrapnel shell. After the battle, the soldiers nicknamed him “Johnny Shiloh”. However, he became a national celebrity after the Battle of Chickamauga when he shot and wounded a Confederate colonel.

Read another story from us: During the American Civil War, Walt Whitman volunteered as a nurse and treated wounded Union soldiers

Clem is undoubtedly the most renowned among the under-aged soldiers and he would later become the last civil war veteran to serve in the US Army, but there were thousands of others who risked their lives and joined the army. Nearly 50 under-aged soldiers received the Medal of Honor during the war, but many of them never made it home.

Brave soldiers – we salute you!