Figure 1.--Notice the military influences on the boy's suit here. We do not know precisely what children thought about the war, but we do know what was said in the popular children's magazines of the time. Boys like this might of read them. Many boys fought in the War. Most but not all were teenagers. It was not boys like this from affluent families in the major cities. It was mostly boys from farm families, who probably didn't read the available children's magazine. This portrait was taken in New York state, but we do not know where. It was almost surely taken in the 1860s, but we are unsure if it was during or after the War. On the back is written "Dr. Will Sawyer - Oakland, California". We are guessing that the boy eventually moved to California and became a doctor.

An interesting question is what Children were thinking during the Civil War. This is of course a difficult question to answer. Some interesting insights are oprovided by James Martin. He edited a fascinating anthology, "The Boy of Chancellorville and Other Civil War Stories". This anthology is a collection of stories which were published in children's magazines between 1865 and 1912. While the stories are fictional, they were written by authors who lived through the Civil War. Marten introduces each story with some interesting information providing some insights into Civil War children.

Slavery

Marten tells us, "Northern children rarely read anything about the institution of slavery in the years leadingup to the Civil War, despite the great debate raging in Congress, in newspapers, and even with families. Children's magazines ignored politics and concentrated instead on teaching young readers to be obedient, moral, and modest. Schoolbooks and even Sunday school journals avoided the subject of slavery, fearing that controversial issues would scare away potential subscribers. Publishers had reason to worry. In the 183o's, when Lydia Marie Child began writing about the evils of slavery in her pioneering children's magazine, "The Juvenile Miiscellany", readers turned away, and she had to stop publication." Marten writes further, "This changed after the Civil War broke out in 1861. African-American characters became much more important in stories written for young Northerners, the cruelty they endured under slavery was described in detail, and a number of authors even included black heroes in their adventure stories." [Marten, p. 9.]

Idealized Image of War

Even during the War, magazines for young people provided a very idealized image of warfare. The selection, "Winning His Way", found in Marten's anthology, is from a serialized story that appeared in monthly segments in Our Young Folks throughout 1865. The story followed the adventures of Paul Parker, a "kind, modest, and religious teenager growing up in a little town called New Hope." This serial was typical of many stories of its day. Marten explains (p.23): "Wartime writers for children emphasized the personal strengths that were necessary to win the war. Bravery and patriotism were important, but so were religious faith, kindness, and humility. Paul Parker demonstrated those traits at home and on the battlefield, providing the perfect model of a well-rounded, loyal northern boy. At the same time, the story also describes in detail the cruelty of Confederate officers, Southerners who lack the noble qualities that Paul exhibits."

Drummer Boys

Marten continues this theme in his introduction to Edmund Kirke's story, "The Boy of Chancellorville": "If Paul Parker was a grown-up version of the perfect Civil War soldier, the many drummer boys who served in both the Union and Confederate armies became the most popular boy-heroes. Scores of stories, poems, and pictures of youn drummer boys appeared in magazines for children and adults alike. Although army regulations stated that no one under the age of 17 could serve in either army without his parents' permission, many young boys went off to war as drummer boys and musicians. Some, like Robert in "The Boy of Chancellorville," ended up in the thick of combat."

Partisan View

Of course the depiction of the War and the character of the ememy varied, depending on where the magazine was published. Most of the magazones were published in the North. "Edmund Kirke presents a very pro-northern view of the war, with Confederate soldiers even more evil than those in "His Winning Way." They swear at and rob the inmates of "the Libby," a prison for Union officers in Richmond, VA. (Blank spaces replace the bad words.) He also tries to write their dialogue with a southern accent, which resembles the speech of the African-Americans who appear in (other) stories." This partisan view of the War was prevalent in magazines published during an immediatelly following the War. Gradually dis view disappeared and writers were more likely to describe the participants North and South as brave warriors, patriotically answering the call of duty. This view of the War developed in tandem with the rise of the Lost Cause view of the War.

Figure 2.--Here is another Civil War era boy. This boy was photographed by A. Miner in Olean, New York. Notice the suit based on the Zouave uniform, a French style worn by some units in both the Federal and Condederate armies.

The Home Front

"Virtually evry man, woman, and child contributed in some way to the war efforts of the United or the Confederate States" during the Civil War. Hundreds of ththousands of men and even boys went into the army, but many more people stayed at home and worked in some way to raise money or to make the lives of soldiers easier. Children in both the North and the South picked lint - pulled or shaved from old rags or clothes, the lint would be used in bandaging wounds - and schools sometimes adopted a regiment or a hospital by sending them food or supplies. Many adults recalled the satisfaction they gained from helping out in their nation's crisis when they were children. 'Very important we children felt,' wrote Clara Lenroot when she remembered spending Sunday afternoons at the Baptist church working "for the soldiers" with the older girls and women." "Thousands of northern children participated in fairs sponsored by the United States Sanitary Commission. By producing and selling homemade baked and canned goods, crafts and toys, and other popular items; by holding theatrical, gymnastic, and singing performances, and by patronizing the hundreds of booths and displays at the giant two-week Sanitary Fairs held throughout the North from 1863 to 1865, children helped to raise more than $4 million for medical supplies, nurses, doctors, and other necessities for the Union army." [Marten, p. 74.]

Social Class

Marten's insights I think are useful in assessing what some American children were reading during and after the Civil War. This no doubt gives an ide as to what the children may have been thinking during the War. I am less sure, however, that this literature strongly motivated boys to enlist, especialy the younger boys to become musicians. I say this because children's magazines were largely sold to affluent families in the major urban centers. I suspect that the parents involved maintained much greater control over their children than was possible for the children of working-class and rural parents who would have been less likely to afford these magazines. Of course America at the time of the Civil War was still a largely rural country. Many of the drummer boy accounts I have read describe boys from rural areas.

Civil War Children

We have archived a number of Civil War children on HBC. It is not always possible to know if they were actually taken during the War as most are not datd. The clothing styles, however, help to indicate that they were taken during the 1860s. A good example are two Pennsylvania children.

Sources

Marten, James. ed. The Boy of Chancellorville and Other Civil War Stories. This anthology is a collection of stories which were published in children's magazines between 1865 and 1912.