Child soldiers in the American Civil War by an exploding shell. Federal Soldiers: These numbers are staggering compared to the number of older men: Child soldiers in the American Civil War Between 250,000 and 420,000 boys under 17 were involved in the American Civil War, for both the Union and the Confederacy. It is estimated that 100,000 Union soldiers were under 15 years old. Given the large number of young men in the American Civil War, compared to the number of older men, one author stated that it “might have been called The Boys’ War.” When the surrender of Fort Sumter was announced, men and boys of
South Carolina in the American Civil War beating, saluting the U.S. flag with a 50-gun salute before taking it down. During this salute, one of the guns exploded, killing a young soldier—the only casualty of the bombardment and the first casualty of the war. In December 1861, South Carolina received $100,000 from Georgia after a disastrous fire in Charleston. Fort Wagner was the scene of two battles. The First Battle of Fort Wagner, occurred on July 11, 1863. Only 12 Confederate soldiers were killed, as opposed to the Union's 339 losses. The Second Battle of Fort Wagner, a week later, is better known. This was the Union