An Army of Irregulars
As much as one-fifth of the fighting men of the Civil War were actually boys under the age of 18. Many were even younger: at least 100,000 Union soldiers were under 15. Eleven boys under 16 won the Congressional Medal of Honor for extraordinary valor. Many performed duties other than combat, but their jobs were just as necessary and often as dangerous. Drummer boys risked death transmitting orders with their beats to the troops on the field. The "Boy's War" also provided cover for women who wanted to fight as men, their smooth faces not unusual among so many boys.
One of the secret soldiers, Albert Cashier, continued to live as a man long after the war ended.
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