Youth and War

This photograph is of the Officers of Company F, 2nd NY Artillery at Fort C.F. Smith. This photograph caught my eye not because of the background, the way it was taken, the lighting or how it was framed, but because of the soldier that is second from the left. While all soldiers in the portrait look older and ready to fight for their country, this soldier looks like he is, at the most, 16 years old and is dwarfed by his comrades. This photograph shows that war does not discriminate against age and that while the draft for the Civil War drafted men of 18 years or older, many of the fighters were younger. The article “Best Age For Soldiers; Civil War Experiences with Boys of 18 and Under” (link http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B00E1DC1439E13ABC4953DFBF668383609EDE) soldiers talk about their experiences of being in a war and being 18 years old or young. While I do not agree with their opinions on the age of the men who are best for war, this article does show that many of the fighters in the Civil War were not even of age to be technically drafted. This picture shows a sad moment in the history of the United States where the people seem to see the youth as disposable in contrast to men of 40 and older.