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Fascinating Civil War Facts that Won’t be in the History Books

Khalid Elhassan February 8, 2021 33 min

Battle of Fort Sanders - American Civil War — Confederates in action during the Civil War. Buyenlarge Archive Photos

14. A Severe Manpower Shortage Led Many Civil War Recruiters to Overlook Age Restrictions on Enlistment

Underage sailors and an older officer during the Civil War. Worth Point

The pressing demand for bodies during the Civil War explains how Aspinwall Fuller joined the US Navy at age thirteen, in violation of regulations on the minimum age for enlistment. In 1864, thirteen-year-old Fuller ran away from his home in Baltimore, Maryland, to join the fight. It was quite common: boys bored out of their skulls with the drudgery of work or chores saw the Civil War as an opportunity for adventure and excitement. Many lied about their age – not hard to do in an era when proving age was difficult.

Others, such as those who wrote “16” on a piece of a paper and placed it beneath their shoe, fibbed in a manner that allowed them to convince themselves that they had not really lied. Whether by lying, resorting to stratagem, or coming across a recruiter who simply did not care, Aspinwall Fuller managed to enlist in the Union Navy. He served from 1864 to 1867. As an adult, he became a marine engineer, and in 1887, became president of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association – a position he held until his death the following year.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.