Final answer:
Youth in wartime may have had romanticized views of war shaped by tales of heroism and playing with toy soldiers, while actual individuals like Jedediah Hotchkiss experienced the direct realities of warfare and combat.
Step-by-step explanation:
The wartime experiences of youth and individuals such as Jedediah Hotchkiss during the Civil War often varied greatly. Young people, like the ones mentioned, would likely have played with toy soldiers and grown up on tales of heroism, which provided a romanticized view of warfare shaped by second-hand narratives and popular culture. However, for someone like Jedediah Hotchkiss, a Confederate military cartographer in the American Civil War, warfare would have been an immediate reality, filled with strategic planning and the actualities of military campaigns.
Hotchkiss's experience would have involved a more direct understanding of the tactics and terrain, the logistics of warfare, and more mature reflections on the nature of war. His view would have been contrasted sharply with the youth who, influenced by heroic tales, could view the conflict as an adventure, a rite of passage, or a test of manhood. It's important to note that this observation highlights a broader socio-cultural phenomenon where the grit and trauma of actual combat were often sanitized in stories and public discourse to maintain moral support for the war, focusing instead on themes of duty, valor, and patriotism.