The Boys' War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War [Paperback]

Jim Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1993 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

First-hand accounts that include diary entries and personal letters describe the experiences of boys, sixteen years old or younger, who fought in the Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From first chapter ("So I Became a Soldier") to last ("We're Going Home"), this wrenching look at our nation's bloodiest conflict through the eyes of its youthful participants serves up history both heartbreaking and enlightening. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-- Making extensive use of the actual words--culled from diaries, journals, memoirs, and letters--of boys who served in the Union and Confederate armies as fighting soldiers as well as drummers, buglers, and telegraphers, Murphy describes the beginnings of the Civil War and goes on to delineate the military role of the underage soldiers and their life in the camps and field bivouacs. Also included is a description of the boys' return home and the effects upon them of their wartime experiences. Boys 16 years and younger, Murphy states, made up perhaps as much as 10-20 percent of the total number of soldiers who served in the Civil War. Little did these boys realize that they would become like young Pvt. Henry Graves, who was able to " 'look on the carcass of a man with pretty much such feeling as I would do were it a horse or hog.' " Private Henry and his contemporaries were direct and simple in their observations and possessed, says Murphy, "an eye for everyday details." Their accounts bring to life, as no other versions can, the Civil War and all of its glories and horrors. An excellent selection of more than 45 sepia-toned contemporary photographs augment the text of this informative, moving work. --David A. Lindsey, Lakewood Junior/Senior High School, WA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (March 22, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395664128
• ISBN-13: 978-0395664124
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > 1800s
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > World > General
  • #29 in Books > Children's Books > History > United States > 1800s

More About the Author

Jim Murphy began his career in children's books as an editor, but managed to escape to become a writer, entering a life of personal and creative happiness and enduring financial uncertainty. He's convinced that the latter keeps him coming back to his computer to write every day and feels that a sense of impending doom is the doorway to creativity. He has never counted the number of books he's published (feeling the time and energy is better spent doing research and writing) but guesses that he has over thirty books to his credit. Jim's work has been honored with numerous awards, including two American Llibrary Association Newbery Honor Book Awards, an ALA Robert F. Sibert Award and Sibert Honor Book Award, three National Council of Teachers of English Orbis Pictus Awards, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Award and a BG/HB Honor Book Award, two SCBWI Golden Kite Awards, and been a finalist for the National Book Award. Recently, he was given the ALA Margaret A. Edwards Award for "his significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful intro to young soldiers lives in the Civil War, January 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boys' War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War (Hardcover)

Read this aloud with my children about 2 years ago. It sparked my son's interest in Civil War historical fiction. He is not an avid reader, but has read several civil war books including "Red Cap" by Clifton Wisler and just picked up "Across Five Aprils" for his sixth-grade historical fiction assignment. Jim Murphy is a fine writer, weaving quotes, diary entries and anecdotes into a lucent and revealing account of the lives of youths who participated in the Civil War. A fine book!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The boys war, November 28, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Boys' War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War (Paperback)

With the many boys who fought in the civil war most of them lied about their age. A lot of them wrote letters or had a diary. Johnny Clem had run away from his home at 11. At age 12 he tried to enlist but they refused to let him join because he was clearly too young. The next day he came back to join as a drummer boy. "I was not happy to trade a musket for a stick". He got his wish in the battle of Shiloh and he became a soldier. I recommend this book to people who want like war and/or personal stories. I liked it. I hope you will to.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT STARTER WORK FOR THE YOUNG READER, January 19, 2006

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Boys' War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War (Paperback)

Jim Murphy has given us a wonderful account of the Civil War with emphasis on the role the young soldier (teen and pre-teen) played in that conflict. The text is quite understandable and the illustrations, black and white photo of the Civil War, make this a valuable and interesting tool in sparking an interest in the young reader. The author uses many first hand accounts and has done a very good job with his research. The writing is not of the dry variety and seems to be able to hold the youner readers interest while still filling his or her head with many interesting and important facts. Highly recommend this one.