THE BOYS' WAR: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War

A survey of experiences of youths, 16 and under, fighting in the Civil War. Basing his chronological text on diaries and letters, Murphy covers battle experiences, training, camp life, medical treatment, and prison camps; a brief afterword provides a broader context of boys fighting in other wars and notes that the Civil War was the last one in which American boys were allowed to join the armed forces. The use of quotes from primary sources and the apt choice of well-reproduced photos (in sepia tones) are the strengths here. There's a lot of information on soldiers' daily lives, but little on the specific roles the boys played. Undistinguished writing, but useful.