"This is a really interesting contribution to the history of children, showing individual young people as active agents, of various sorts, during the American Revolution. Children were also acted upon during the Revolution, and this testimony is revealing as well; but the extent of active involvement, and the sources this involvement generated, provide the most telling analysis." -- Peter N. Stearns, Provost, George Mason University "In this book, Emmy Werner, a lifelong student of human resilience, tells a remarkable story of the Revolutionary War from a much-neglected perspective--that of young children and youth from the colonies. Most enlistees in the American army were aged 15 or younger; some were even as young as eight years! With biographical documents on 100 young Americans and a small number of young Hessians, Werner writes about their extraordinary experiences during this eight-year war, often revealing acts of great courage in overcoming adversity. Where possible, she also explores the longer term impact of the war on their lives in what Seymour Martin Lipsit describes as the first new nation. This memorable book will alter views of the Revolutionary War by highlighting the many contributions of boy soldiers to winning America's independence." -- Glen H. Elder Jr., Howard W. Odum Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Acknowledgments Prologue Part I Witnessing the Revolution 1 Troubles in Boston 2 From Lexington to Cambridge Part II Fighting the War of Independence 3 From New York to Trenton 4 From Philadelphia to Valley Forge 5 From Valley Forge to Savannah 6 From Savannah to King's Mountain 7 From Richmond to Yorktown Part III Transatlantic Travelers 8 Boys at Sea 9 The Riedesel Girls on a Transatlantic Tour of Duty 10 John Quincy Adams on a Diplomatic Mission to Europe Part IV At Liberty in a New Nation 11 Peace at Last 12 Fruits of Liberty Selected Chronology of Events during the American Revolution Notes Bibliography Index
Emmy E. Werner is the author of A Conspiracy of Decency: The Rescue of Danish Jews during World War II (2002), Through the Eyes of Innocents: Children Witness World War II (2000), and Reluctant Witnesses: Childrens' Voices from the Civil War (1998).
Werner has written a history of children's participation in the
American Revolution from the Boston Massacre and Tea Party in the
1770s through its military phase, 1775–81, ending with the signing
of the Peace of Paris in 1783. The author uses children's
eyewitness accounts--letters, diaries, and memoirs—drawn from
printed published sources as well as US and German archives. . . .
General readers/public libraries.
*Choice*
[E]xamines the era of the American Revolution (1770-89) through the
eyes of 100 children who were between the ages of five and 16
during the conflict. Drawing on diaries, journals, and letters
(more by boys than girls), Werner provides a fascinating primary
angle on the Revolution. For instance, included are the stories of
two young men who were with Washington at Valley Forge and young
Emily Geiger, who risked her life to carry a message through
British territory to General Greene….[r]ecommended for academic and
large public libraries.
*Library Journal*
In a series of well-received works, Emmy E. Werner has examined the
factors that help children bounce back from adversity. To explain
why it is that some young people succeed in overcoming hardship,
stress, pressure, and disappointment, Werner not only conducted
longitudinal studies of poor children in contemporary United
States, but also burrowed into the past, exploring how earlier
generations coped with the trials and tribulations posed by war and
migration… The first- hand accounts included in the manuscript
bring the period to life in a way that few other sources do.
Especially noteworthy are excerpts from the diaries of Hessain
teenagers who fought in the Revolution and accounts of Loyalist
exiles.
*American Studies The University of Kansas*
Werner has written a history of children's participation in the
American Revolution from the Boston Massacre and Tea Party in the
1770s through its military phase, 1775-81, ending with the signing
of the Peace of Paris in 1783. The author uses children's
eyewitness accounts--letters, diaries, and memoirs-drawn from
printed published sources as well as US and German archives. . . .
General readers/public libraries. * Choice *
[E]xamines the era of the American Revolution (1770-89) through the
eyes of 100 children who were between the ages of five and 16
during the conflict. Drawing on diaries, journals, and letters
(more by boys than girls), Werner provides a fascinating primary
angle on the Revolution. For instance, included are the stories of
two young men who were with Washington at Valley Forge and young
Emily Geiger, who risked her life to carry a message through
British territory to General Greene....[r]ecommended for academic
and large public libraries. * Library Journal *
In a series of well-received works, Emmy E. Werner has examined the
factors that help children bounce back from adversity. To explain
why it is that some young people succeed in overcoming hardship,
stress, pressure, and disappointment, Werner not only conducted
longitudinal studies of poor children in contemporary United
States, but also burrowed into the past, exploring how earlier
generations coped with the trials and tribulations posed by war and
migration... The first- hand accounts included in the manuscript
bring the period to life in a way that few other sources do.
Especially noteworthy are excerpts from the diaries of Hessain
teenagers who fought in the Revolution and accounts of Loyalist
exiles. * American Studies The University of Kansas *
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