When I begin my paper on child soldiers of the Civil War, it will be critical to the success of the paper. Children played roles in wars for a long time prior to the Civil War. Often times they were "powder monkeys" on ships. They were chosen for this job because they were small and quick. Arguably these "powder monkeys" were vital to naval warfare. Boys as young as 12 were drummer boys, beating out patterns that meant different things to the soldiers. Drumming a cadence to march to, the order to advance, and retreat as well as other orders. These are all no doubt crucial to a military's success in battle.
But I believe, for my papers sake, I will stick more to the children who took up arms. Who actually fired the rifles on the field of battle. Marching shoulder to shoulder with men twice their age. Because these young boys were spread out, except in the case of the Virginia Military Institute boys and even some of them were in their 20's, I believe this will force me to examine more closely the role of the Virginia Military Institute's role in the Civil War. Also, because this was in an academic setting, I will have access to letters, diaries, and rosters from VMI. Thus making the hunt for primaries easier. I have contacted VMI to see if they have access to Union primary sources from the battle but have not yet heard back from them.
Obviously because VMI is a military institute, these boy soldiers were being prepared for war. But as some of my sources have hinted to, they were scared, they were still teenage boys. In a letter home from cadet Samuel F. Atwill, "Two of the fellow picked him up and instead of bringing him to barracks which is just as close as Major Williamson's, they were very cunning and took him to the latter place as "Old Tom" (Maj. W.) has two very prettie daughters." If this does not say teenage shenanigans, I do not know what does. This shows that despite being prepped for war, they were still worried about such teenage ideals as trying to woo two "prettie" girls.
Source:
Samuel F. Atwill Papers, 1862, 1864
Great initiative on contacting the archive.
ReplyDeleteEvan,
ReplyDeleteI thought your possible access to the unique letters, diaries etc. at the VMI could be very exciting for your topic and unique. It was interesting that you pointed out the two different identities at play between soldiers preparing for war and boys still experiencing youth; that could serve as a defining element in your paper. I was curious if narrowing your topic to boys who just took up arms (not drummers or those in the navy) would be too limiting to your scope or not? Either way, it sounds like your topic will be an intriguing way to approach a Civil War topic.
I agree with Sadie; the fact that the boys have to consolidate between being soldiers and being teenagers will prove to be a very interesting aspect of the paper! That being said, I'm wondering as to whether the letters and diaries contain more about "prettie" girls or more about the fear of serving in the military?
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