Unlike other American wars, there was high participation in the Civil War by children under the age of 18. The exact number is unknown but they probably gained five percent. of all soldiers and they were involved in every aspect. Some had to fight on the battlefield while others, especially girls, served as scouts or nurses to the wounded. And even those who did not directly participate in the war saw their lives change as they had to take on the responsibilities of their family members who were actually involved in the war. In 1861, President Lincoln announced that boys under eighteen could enlist only with parental consent ("Child Soldiers" by Mintz, S. and McNeil, S.). Although it was completely forbidden to enlist until the age of eighteen after the following year, many officers ignored it due to heavy casualties. These boys cheated by using false names and ages to enlist, so their parents could not refuse their enlistment. While boys were not chosen to participate in training to become war soldiers, they were nevertheless allowed to perform smaller, less valued tasks. Thousands of them participated as drummers, messengers or assistants to surgeons and nurses. The work of the child musicians consisted of relaying the orders of the officers, signaling the wake-up call, the roll call or sounding out the company's drills and shots. A more important job was that of a drummer. These children led the teams in battles, so they were an easy target for enemies. The reason many of these children enlisted was to escape their normal "boring" lives, jealous of their older siblings, or fear of becoming slaves like one Southern boy who said, " I would rather die, then become a slave to the North (quoted in “Child Soldiers”). Many of them... middle of paper ......d or simply wore ragged shirts or pants. In 1865, when the war ended, the children of the South were sad about their defeat and the children of the North were happy. about their victory. But they all had one thing in common: almost everyone has lost at least one parent or friend and these children will never forget what they saw, heard and read. They are afraid for their lives. Only because this bloody war had an end in their minds, young children began a normal life looking to the future and not the past.Works Cited1. Mintz, S. and S. McNeil. “Child Soldiers”. Digital history. (2013): no. page. Internet. November 19, 2013. .2. Clapp, Lida. “Children’s Lives During the Civil War.” n. page. Internet. November 19. 2013. .