Over the coming days and weeks, I plan to make several posts relating to the Civil War. These will range from a story about Danville, Virginia, to the impacts on Marjory’s family and mine. This post offers some background, setting the stage for the stories that follow.
The causes of the War Between the States (1861-1865) will continue to be debated by historians. My interest is in the effects, not the causes.
The conflict was not a war of equals. In addition to the Union having much of the ability to manufacture arms and other war supplies, it had two and one half times the white population. The size of the army for the north was twice as large. While precise numbers are not available, the table below shows this imbalance.
The total number deaths from the Civil War exceeds the deaths from all conflicts since including World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam. The Confederacy lost a staggering 14% of its adult male population – one of every seven men.
More than half of the soldiers who died passed from disease rather than from combat. The use of antiseptics was not yet understood by most doctors. There were no vaccines even for the most common illnesses and hygiene was poor. Bacteria that spread from camp latrines were among the greatest dangers. About 80% of the population had lived their entire lives on farms or in small communities. Thus, soldiers had little immunity to many types of illnesses.
Most of the fighting (Gettysburg being the notable exception) was on Confederate soil. Two of those southern battles are of particular importance to me – the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 and the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864. More about that in future posts.
Much of the food for the northern army was confiscated from southern farmers. As a result, as many as 50,000 citizens of the Confederacy perished from lack of food, stray bullets, poor sanitation, and the destruction of entire towns.
In his “March to the Sea” in late 1864, General Sherman destroyed at least 20% of Georgia’s farms. By early 1865, the South’s railroads and its major cities – Atlanta (at right), Charleston, and Columbia – lay in ruin. With the fall and destruction of its capital city imminent, the Confederate government evacuated Richmond on April 2 using the last open railroad line, the Richmond and Danville. (Please see a future post for more information about Danville and the Civil War.)
On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Lee surrendered his troops to Union General Grant at Appomattox. This was, in effect, the end of the war even though some troops did not surrender until June.
The causes of the War Between the States (1861-1865) will continue to be debated by historians. My interest is in the effects, not the causes.
The conflict was not a war of equals. In addition to the Union having much of the ability to manufacture arms and other war supplies, it had two and one half times the white population. The size of the army for the north was twice as large. While precise numbers are not available, the table below shows this imbalance.
| Union | Confederacy | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult white male population | 5,060,000 | 2,070,000 |
| Men who served | 2,128,948 | 1,082,119 |
| Soldiers as % of adult white males | 42 % | 52 % |
| Deaths | 389,753 | 289,000 |
| Deaths as % of men who served | 18 % | 27 % |
| Deaths as % of adult white males | 7.7 % | 14.0 % |
| Deaths from disease | 224,580 | 164,000 |
| % of deaths from disease | 58 % | 57 % |
The total number deaths from the Civil War exceeds the deaths from all conflicts since including World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam. The Confederacy lost a staggering 14% of its adult male population – one of every seven men.
More than half of the soldiers who died passed from disease rather than from combat. The use of antiseptics was not yet understood by most doctors. There were no vaccines even for the most common illnesses and hygiene was poor. Bacteria that spread from camp latrines were among the greatest dangers. About 80% of the population had lived their entire lives on farms or in small communities. Thus, soldiers had little immunity to many types of illnesses.
Most of the fighting (Gettysburg being the notable exception) was on Confederate soil. Two of those southern battles are of particular importance to me – the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 and the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864. More about that in future posts.
Much of the food for the northern army was confiscated from southern farmers. As a result, as many as 50,000 citizens of the Confederacy perished from lack of food, stray bullets, poor sanitation, and the destruction of entire towns.
In his “March to the Sea” in late 1864, General Sherman destroyed at least 20% of Georgia’s farms. By early 1865, the South’s railroads and its major cities – Atlanta (at right), Charleston, and Columbia – lay in ruin. With the fall and destruction of its capital city imminent, the Confederate government evacuated Richmond on April 2 using the last open railroad line, the Richmond and Danville. (Please see a future post for more information about Danville and the Civil War.)
On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Lee surrendered his troops to Union General Grant at Appomattox. This was, in effect, the end of the war even though some troops did not surrender until June.
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