Amazing, most of the soldiers on both sides were just boys between the ages of 17 and 25.
“Amazing, most of the soldiers on both sides were just boys between the ages of 17 and 25.”
This is the case in most wars. It wasn’t 40 year old Tom Hanks’ that stormed Normandy Beach. It was 19 and 20 year old boys.
A great read
The Confederate Soldier:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/gettkidz/reb.htm
A typical company of soldiers (100 men) was raised in the county where they lived. Once they were organized and offered to the state, the company went to a training camp usually located near the state capitol. They were then organized into regiments, elected officers, received clothing and arms, and began the long process of becoming soldiers. When regiments from the Confederate states first arrived in Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, there was a big difference noticed by everyone. Every state had chosen a different design for their soldiers’ uniforms and no two organizations looked the same. Many were carrying state flags or home-made flags. Some regiments were poorly armed or had no weapons at all. Providing for the volunteer regiments was left up to each state that raised the regiments, whether the soldiers were in their home state or away. As uniforms and equipment wore out, the quartermasters of each regiment discovered that they could not get replacements. It took months for the Confederate War Department to organize a supply system to issue clothing and equipment to all of the volunteer regiments and despite their efforts, the Confederate soldier suffered from shortages throughout the war.
Excerpt............