Bookworm #70: Of Age: Boy Soldiers and Military Power in the Civil War Era

The Clements Bookworm Author Conversation with Rebecca Jo Plant and Frances M. Clarke, authors of "Of Age: Boy Soldiers and Military Power in the Civil War Era"

Enormous numbers of boys and underage youths served in the military throughout the American Civil War. Constituting roughly ten percent of Union troops and likely a similar proportion of Confederate forces, these young enlistees significantly enhanced the size and capabilities of the armies on both sides. They also created a great deal of drama and chaos. They upended household economies by absconding with their vital labor power. They caused loved ones to suffer untold anxiety for their welfare. And they generated myriad encounters between ordinary people and the institutions of government, at times resulting in dramatic showdowns between military and civilian authorities. How did the United States and the Confederacy, respectively, deal with the presence of so many young people in the ranks? The answers are often surprising and counterintuitive. As the U.S. federal government asserted greater authority over the state-based volunteers, Union families in particular found it difficult if not impossible to recover their sons.

Frances M. Clarke is Associate Professor of History at the University of Sydney. Rebecca Jo Plant is Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego. Together, they authored Of Age: Boy Soldiers and Military Power in the Civil War Era, which won the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize as well as the 2024 Grace Abbott Book Award from the Society for the History of Children and Youth. Their work on this book was supported by the Australian Research Council and the ACLS.


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