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
Cavalry in the American Civil War Cavalry in the American Civil War Cavalry in the American Civil War was a branch of army service in a process of transition for the union. It suffered from emerging technology threats, difficult logistics, and sometimes misguided or inept commanders. Nevertheless, it played important roles in many Civil War campaigns and earned its place alongside the infantry and artillery combat arms. There were four types of mounted forces prevalent in the Civil War. At the time of the Civil War, the cavalry had five major missions, in rough priority: This represented a change from previous eras, in which offensive action