Boy Soldiers of the American Revolution (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781469663951)

Between 1819 and 1845, as veterans of the Revolutionary War were filing applications to receive pensions for their service, the government was surprised to learn that many of the soldiers were not men, but boys, many of whom were under the age of sixteen, and some even as young as nine. In Boy Soldiers of the American Revolution, Caroline Cox reconstructs the lives and stories of this young subset of early American soldiers, focusing on how these boys came to join the army and what they actually did in service. Giving us a rich and unique glimpse into colonial childhood, Cox traces the evolution of youth in American culture in the late eighteenth century, as the accepted age for children to participate meaningfully in society--not only in the military--was rising dramatically.

Drawing creatively on sources, such as diaries, letters, and memoirs, Caroline Cox offers a vivid account of what life was like for these boys both on and off the battlefield, telling the story of a generation of soldiers caught between old and new notions of boyhood.

Author: Caroline Cox
ISBN-10: 1469663953
ISBN-13: 9781469663951
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Language: English
Published: 02/01/2021
Pages: 232
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.79lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.52d