Ages of civil war drummer boys?

Answer 1

Despite the popular notion that most musicians in the war were 13 and younger, checking through roster lists shows that the average age fell somewhere between 17 and 22. Certainly, there were many minors, falling between the ages of 15 and 17, but few were under the age of 15 and a musician 12 or younger was very much a rarity (though they existed). Those under 18 had to receive permission from their parent in order to enlist legally.

Answer 2

There was no set age. Many Civil War musicians were adults (probably most were adults). However, there were thousands on both sides under the age of 18 (and some considerably younger than that).

Many lied about their ages, sometimes adding several years to the true age, which makes it difficult to determine how many minors actually served.

One of the youngest was Edward Black of the 21st Indiana Infantry, who was born on May 30, 1853 and who enlisted as a drummer on July 21, 1861, age 8.

Answer 3

In the overall civil war, about 800,000 drummer boys died.