ATHENS, Ohio -- James Marten will present "No Medals, No Monuments: The Children's Civil War," at the Wagner Theatre on the Ohio University Lancaster Campus on Friday, May 9, at 8 p.m.
In his book, "The Children's Civil War," Marten describes the Civil War and its impact on the children who lived through it. He researched personal correspondence, diaries, newspaper articles, children's textbooks and other publications to gain an understanding of their experiences, how they perceived the war and how it influenced their behavior as adults, writers, politicians and voters between 1870 and 1918.
Marten compared the variety of backgrounds and experiences of children and concludes that most children had solidified their political views by age 10. Publishers Weekly called "The Children's Civil War" "an absorbing first-rate social history," noting that Marten discloses how "the war shaped an entire generation of American youth."
Marten, a professor and director of graduate studies in the History Department at Marquette University, also wrote "Civil War America: Voices from the Homefront" and is working on "Child in the City: Children, Youth and the Dawn of Modern America" and "War, Peace and Northern Children During the Civil War Era." Works he has edited include "Children and War: A Historical Anthology," "The Boy of Chancellorville and Other Stories," "American Childhoods" and other manuscripts and publications.
His articles, essays, chapters and reviews have been published in "Civil War History," "Lincoln Herald," "Journal of Southern History," "Disabled Veterans in History," "American Historical Review," "Reviews in American History," "Civil War Regiments," "Military History of the West," "History Reviews Online," "Civil War Book Review," "North and South" and many other publications.
Marten's lecture is free and sponsored by the Friends of the Ohio University-Lancaster Library, the Kennedy Lecture Series, the Fairfield Heritage Association and Cultural Events at the Lancaster Campus. A reception and book signing will follow the lecture.
