36. American Powder Monkeys
Throughout much of the nineteenth century, the US Navy typically enlisted powder monkeys between ages of ten to fourteen, for a three-year term. They were the lowest ranking crew members aboard ship, and were paid about $6 a month – roughly $150 in 2020 dollars. After the War of 1812, the Navy banned the use of boys younger than twelve aboard ship. In 1828, Navy regulations authorized ships to hire boys between ages of fourteen to eighteen, at a ratio of one powder monkey for every two guns the ship carried.
In practice, some recruiters had no problem enlisting a child younger than fourteen, or even younger than twelve. In 1833, Navy regulations prohibited the enlistment of boys younger than thirteen without parental consent. It was a tacit acceptance of the reality that many boys younger than thirteen were serving aboard American warships. Powder monkeys aged thirteen and over continued to be used until the Spanish-American War, at the close of the nineteenth century.
