Record #:

10702

Author(s):

Sharpe, Bill

Abstract:

On September 17, 1864, the Confederate Congress passed a law dropping the legal age for enlistment from 18 to 17. President Jefferson Davis opposed the law saying that it would \"grind up the seed corn of the Confederacy.\" Enlistment of youngsters closed the colleges of North Carolina and left many homes with no remaining males to do the difficult work of farming and harvesting. These youths, who were formed into the Junior Reserves, saw service in several of the last battles of the war in North Carolina, including those around Kinston, Plymouth, Ft. Fisher, and Bentonville.

Source:

The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 37 Issue 11 , Nov 1969, p16, il

Subject(s):

North Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Junior Reserves