40. The soldiers of the Civil War created the largest American Army to be seen until World War One
About two and three quarter million men served in the army on both sides of the American Civil War, roughly two million of them for the Union. Over 600,000 died from combat, disease, or accidents, and in the early 21st century estimates of the total deaths in the military of the Civil War continue to be revised upwards. Several hundred thousand more were maimed physically during the war, and thousands of the post-war veterans were plagued by what is now known as PTSD, undiagnosed at the time. About 6% of the Union troops had been draftees; a considerably larger percentage of the Confederate army was conscripted, a fact often ignored by history.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Leaders on both sides: West Point and the Civil War”. Stars and Stripes. August 17, 2017
“Breaks in the Action”. Sue Eisenfeld, The New York Times. February 7, 2014
“Life of the Civil War Soldier in Camp”. Gary Helm, American Battlefield Trust.
“The Age of Shoddy”. Ron Soodalter, America’s Civil War Magazine. HistoryNet. February 16, 2018
“Who Fought? The Confederate Soldier”. Article, American Battlefield Trust. Online
“Desertion during the Civil War”. Ella Lonn. 1998
“Military Pay”. Article, American Battlefield Trust. Online
“Music of the 1860s”. Article, American Battlefield Trust. Online
“Civil War Facts: 1861-1865”. Article, The Civil War. National Park Service. Online
“Industry and Economy during the Civil War”. Benjamin T. Harrington, National Park Service. Online
“Small Arms of the Civil War”. Article, American Battlefield Trust. Online
“Who was the common soldier of America’s Civil War?” Article, HistoryNet. Online
“Twenty-slave Law”. Susanna Michele Lee, Encyclopedia Virginia. Online
“Did Religion Make the American Civil War Worse?” Allen Guelzo, The Atlantic. August 23, 2015
“The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy”. Bell Irvin Wiley. 1979
“The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union”. Bell Irvin Wiley. 2008