Blogging Through the Alphabet: C is for Children and the American Civil War

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The American Civil War impacted all aspects of life. When sons signed up to serve in the Union and Confederate armies, parents were often both proud of their sons and worried about the risks. And then, on some occasions, when sons decided to fight for the "other side," parents felt even more concern and sometimes pain and humiliation and betrayal. Families would also be broken up as fathers enlisted, leaving behind wives and children. 

How did the children feel? 

I can only imagine how children felt when they said goodbye to their fathers (and brothers in some cases). Depending on how far the families lived from large cities, they may have had different opinions about the Civil War. Some families were very proud of their fathers and sons as they enlisted. Tied up with pride was a feeling of patriotism. Northerners and Southerners both felt they were serving their nation. Tied up in pride and patriotism were also sadness and worry. The families' lives were changing, and no one really knew for how long. 

What about those children who lived where battles were taking place? Can you imagine the children who would see armed men entering their towns and homes? In Civil War Soldiers by Reid Mitchell, we can read an excerpt from the diary of New York Officer Burrage Rice. On Dec 29, 1864, he wrote: 

"All I pity are the little children. They look up so sad with so much astonishment wondering, I presume, why we are all armed, filling their little hearts with terror, & why they are all so destitute & why Papa is not at home attending to their wants in this bleak cold winter weather. Poor children! They know not they are suffering the curse of treason."

How did the fathers feel? 

Many fathers were worried that their children would forget them. In the letters they sent home, they wrote their wives to remember them to their children. Both sides would share photographs. In some cases, fathers would send home photographs of themselves in their uniforms, while mothers would send snapshots of their children. Children also sent messages to their fathers through their mothers.

There were only a few occasions when fathers wrote letters directly to their children. In general, letters written home were meant to be read by adults, and only parts were shared with the children. Today, this might seem odd as we often send postcards, letters, emails, text messages, etc. to our children but this was not the norm during the American Civil War.

Impact on Families 

The feelings of sadness would be multiplied if the fathers died in battle, in prison, or after being wounded. The numbers could be quite high for each unit. The chaplain of the 30th North Carolina Infantry listed the widows and fatherless children left behind. There were 114 husbands and fathers of the 358 who died. They left 114 widows and 249 fatherless children behind. 

There is one famous photograph of three children who were orphaned after the battle of Gettysburg. Their father was holding the photo of his three children but his body was unidentified. Magazines printed the photo and distributed the likenesses so they could identify the soldier. Eventually, Philanda Hamiston of Portville, NY saw the photo of the children. It was her husband, Sergeant Amos Hamiston of the 154th New York, and her children who had been orphaned. This is but one case of numerous children being orphaned in the American Civil War. 

I can only imagine the impact on the children both during the war and afterward. We are seeing the impact of an unusual couple of years on our own children. There may not have been a civil war, but our children – our nation – was greatly impacted by decisions made over the past several years, and we are only now realizing the toll it has taken on our young ones.

Read More 

If you want to read three letters a father wrote to his children, you can find them at The Blog of Gettysburg National Military Park. 

PBS: Kids in the Civil War

View "The children of battle field" at the Library of Congress.