Private ACW portraiture made public

The Army and Navy club has put its private art collection online. Have a look here and browse the whole site for more Civil War history paintings.

John Clem

Just encountered club member John Clem in our newsletter. The club account has him thrice wounded by age 13. It gives the number of 40,000 children enlisted and fighting in the ACW.

The internet version of his story are rather flat; he was a colorful celebrity who rejoined the army in peacetime.

Clem's exploits put me in mind of a movie I saw recently with many of the same elements present.

Ten-year-olds who run away from home to join a war and then stick with it are scarcer nowadays.