The Civil War is a much plumbed area of scholarship, so much so that at times it seems there is no further work to be done in the field. However, the experience of children and youth during that tumultuous time remains a relatively unexplored facet of the conflict. This book seeks a deeper investigation into the historical record by and giving voice and context to their struggles and victories during this critical period in American history. The chapters explore issues important to both the Civil War era and to the history of children and youth, including the experience of orphans, drummer boy ... More

The Civil War is a much plumbed area of scholarship, so much so that at times it seems there is no further work to be done in the field. However, the experience of children and youth during that tumultuous time remains a relatively unexplored facet of the conflict. This book seeks a deeper investigation into the historical record by and giving voice and context to their struggles and victories during this critical period in American history. The chapters explore issues important to both the Civil War era and to the history of children and youth, including the experience of orphans, drummer boys, and young soldiers on the front lines, and even the impact of the war on the games children played. Each chapter places the history of children and youth in the context of the sectional conflict, while in turn shedding new light on the sectional conflict by viewing it through the lens of children and youth. The book touches on some of the most important historiographical issues with which historians of children and youth and of the Civil War home front have grappled over the last few years.