Children in Uniform

Abstract

After assuming command of the Army in the 1790s, the Duke of York simultaneously limited boys under 16 from becoming officers while increasing the number of boys permitted to serve in the other ranks. Though on the surface this suggests that the Army cared more about protecting elite boys from war’s dangers, boys of all ranks had much in common. The Army saw all boys as useless in comparison to their adult counterparts. Their advantage consisted in their higher willingness to enlist and their lower pay. For civilians, boys’ entry into the Army reduced the potential for youthful misrule. Military commanders promised to treat younger soldiers with compassion, but rarely delivered. Dressed in ill-fitting uniforms, boys received less rations than men, though the calorie needs of growing lads were actually higher. They were also vulnerable to the hazing and immoral influences of the men around them. Officers sometimes exercised more leniency on younger courts martial defendants, but this was not guaranteed. Boy soldiers experienced combat similar to their older counterparts, and were more likely to engage in dangerous acts of bravery to defy those who denounced them for their youth. The Enlightenment might have tasked adults with protecting child innocence, but it also advocated training youngsters to realize their full potential. The Army shared this focus on the future adult, ignoring the needs of the child in order to get the most out of the man he would become.