Confederate Cadet Courier
“The Youth is our Future”
Remember it is your duty to see that the true history of the South is taught to future generations!
The South Secedes
and the War for Southern Independence Begins
by George
When Abraham Lincoln was elected as president in 1860, Southerners thought the government was becoming too strong. They did not think the government had the right to tell them how they should live. Southerners felt if they stayed in the United States, the North would control them.
Some southern states decided they had no choice. They decided to secede, or leave, the United States. South Carolina was the first to leave the Union. Four months later, six other states seceded. They were Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana. These states formed a new nation called the Confederate States of America. Later Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee joined them. The people of these states elected Jefferson Davis as president of the Confederacy.
The northern states were called the Union. President Lincoln said he would fight to keep the southern states as part of the United States. Lincoln forced the hand of the Confederates at Fort Sumter by sending a naval squadron to reinforce the fort with soldiers and arms. The Union fleet set sail on April 4. Before the fort could get re-supplied, the Confederates fired upon Fort Sumter on April 12. On April 13, Fort Sumter fell. On April 14, the Confederates took possession of Fort Sumter. U.S. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles wrote, "It was very important that the Rebels strike the first blow in the conflict." Lincoln used Fort Sumter as an excuse to start the major land invasion. Lincoln called up the 75,000 troops on April 15 to invade the South. This was the beginning of the War for Southern Independence.
Can you imagine seeing soldiers march out to war? Do they look the same age? You probably can’t tell because of the uniforms. Today soldiers are at lest 18 years old. Back when the War for Southern Independence was being fought some soldiers weren’t even ten years old!
Preparing For the War
Normally back then, children seventeen and younger weren’t allowed to fight in wars with out their parent’s permission. But some did. Why? Well only because back in the 1800s being in a war was an adventure. But why didn’t they ask their parents? They were pretty sure their parents would say "No!" So instead of using their real names they used fake ones.
Signing up for a war didn’t guarantee a person becoming a soldier. Soldiers were picked. After they were picked to be a soldier, they went straight to training. The boys or men who weren’t picked still had a chance to be in the war as a drummer boy, person who sorted mail, and a person who dug trenches, and the last job a person who shined shoes.
Drummer Boys
The most important job besides being a soldier was the drummer boy. Being a drummer boy took more guts than being a soldier because you were in the front of the army, a perfect target for someone to aim at. The main job of a drummer boy was for him to play the same old music on his drum. The drummer boys soon got tried of their jobs because they were playing the same old music over and over again. The soldiers got tired of it too. One soldier was so tired of it he made up a song to complain about it. One line from the song was "I’m sick of the fifer (like a flute) more sick of the drum."
Boy soldiers
Boy soldiers that were not ten years old still got guns. They got guns and gunpowder because no matter what their age was they were still part of the army. It was a little different for the blacks. They still got guns but not any gunpowder. They didn’t get any gunpowder because most people thought blacks were considered not equal to some people.
The younger soldiers were not treated any different then the older ones because they were smart enough to sign up for the army so they must do their best to do their work.
Conclusion
Children not even ten years old fought in the War for Southern Independence. They did their best to do their jobs right. They were brave and strong as they watched people die. Imagine watching people you know die. How would you act?
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War for Southern Independence Vocabulary
Complete the activity.
1. ____________________That part of military force which serves on horseback.
2. ____________________The thirteen states that seceded from the United States to form their own country.
3. ____________________Army in the United States of America
4. ____________________Common term for a Northern soldier
5. ____________________Common term for a Southern soldier
6. ____________________Group of men who travel and fight on foot
7. ____________________Two minute speech by President Lincoln at a ceremony dedicating the Battlefield as a National Cemetery
8. ____________________Political war measure issued by President Lincoln after being in the war for over 2 years which did not free any slaves.
9. ____________________President of Confederate States of America
10. ___________________A state to leave the Union
Youth Enhancement Committee
Chairman Charles Broadway-(252) 523-1954 or e-mail: (charlie.broadway@scvwire.net)
Co-Chairman Kirk Carter-(704)739-2964 or e-mail: (tarus357@bellsouth.net)
“Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less”…..
General Robert Edward Lee (Army of Northern Virginia Commander)
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