Customer Reviews

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

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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!

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.

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.

Published in 1990 by Jim Murphy through Clarion Books, "The Boys' War" tells the story of the youngest soldiers of the American Civil War, boys from under thirteen to the teenage years who eagerly joined alongside men considerably older than themselves to aid, or end, the rebellious Confederate States of America. Young, healthy, lean and energetic as the book itself describes them, these young men were in many ways ideal soldiers, and proved to be just as capable as the full-grown men, sometimes more so. The call to war, especially one so close to home, has always exerted a powerful hold over young men, to the point where many blatantly lied their way into the service of the US or CS armed forces. Recruiters at the time cared very little about the suitability of a prospective recruit for service, and that includes their age. Twelve year old boys got in alongside men three times their age, and enlistment was considerably easier for the teenagers, whose age could be impossible to verify at times. Motivated by a desire to prove themselves and the prospect of glory and adventure, thousands of boys joined up on both sides. 110 pages long, this book tells the story of one of the largest, if not the largest, group of young soldiers in history. Ultimately, this book shows, the boys were little different from the men. They joined for the same reasons, fought for the same reasons, deserted for the same reasons, and died for the same reasons. Many did not endure beyond the initial excitement of the war's beginning, but many did. Just like the men. "The Boys' War" tells individual stories from specific boys, telling us how they enlisted and why, and accounts from young soldiers of both sides as the war went on.

I find this book to be a well-deserved slap in the face to both the young who use their age as an excuse not to take themselves seriously, and to adults who refuse to take the young seriously for the same reasons. When given a chance and shown respect, American boys who were around in the Civil War distinguished themselves as much as the older men. John Clem became a Sergeant at 12 years old after the Battle of Chickamauga, making him the youngest NCO in the history of the US Army. Clem, iconic of what the young can achieve under the right circumstances and with the right mindset, will forever stand as a reminder that children- and teenagers- are not as weak or incapable as many think them to be. To anyone interested in Civil War history and specifically the role of young men in it, I highly recommend this book. It is one of the finest books on the Civil War ever written.

I remember getting this book when I was in 6th grade or so, so back around '92. I read it cover to cover many times over the next few years, and it made quite the impression upon me - to the extent that I remembered the title of it and some of the stories told, almost 20 years later. This is a wonderful book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Tremendous book on so many levels. I learned a lot more about the civil war than I ever learned in the classroom. Lots os pictures. I knew there were young boys in the armies on both sides just not the thousands upon thousands that there was. It is well worth your time to read this jewel of a book.

This book is very good & understandable. I like it mainly for the pictures.