When did age requirements for the military start historically? I search a good amount and only could find WW1 British requirements (17). Did American civil war soldiers lie about their age?
Did American civil war soldiers lie about their age?
Yes. There was a set enlistment age of 18. The youngest soldier in the confederacy was 11 while there was a 9 year old musician turned soldier in the union army. According to the Civil War trust, young soldiers would write out "18" on a piece of paper and put in their shoe. When asked if they were 'over' 18, they could say yes.
Not sure about ACW but there were definitely soldiers who lied about their age in WW1. I've seen graves in Belgium of British and French soldiers as young as 15