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29,000 deaths in the War Between the States

Discussion in 'History Forum' started by Salty, Feb 25, 2015.

  1. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    This article states that 29,000 blacks soldiers died
    of disease during the War Between the States.

    Two things came to mind immediately.

    First the 29,000 was only USA forces, it did not include Black soldiers of the CSA.

    Second, thousands of soldiers on both sides died form disease.

    This link informs us that
    Well over 60 % of USA GI deaths were non-combat
    The % was about the same for CSA GI deaths.

    Thoughts?
     
  2. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    That was pretty much the norm until the 20th century; disease (usually from unsanitary hygiene or the spread of communicable disease among populations with little immunity) killed more soldiers than did battle.

    Some defenders of Grant justify his tactics on this very fact; although his campaigns resulted in large numbers of battle casualties, ending the war quickly in fact reduced casualties in the end. Kind of like the justification for use of the atomic bombs.
     
    #2 rsr, Feb 25, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 25, 2015
  3. shodan

    shodan Member
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  4. The American Dream

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    At Columbus Belmont State Park near Columbus, KY on the Mississippi is where we take picnics a lot. There was one of those bloody battles there. Anyway in the park they have several of the canons. They also have a giant anchor in the middle of the park. In the Civil War it was used to support a large chain across the Mississippi to halt the Northern ships from going any further south. Each year there is a giant reenactment. They even got guys to show you how to load a musket.

    Anyway, what I was getting to was the building that depicts a Confederate hospital. It is pretty gruesome. Uncleaned knives, saws, no pain killer except whiskey (Baptists were out of luck) and dried blood every where. It almost seems we were crueler to each other than the wars we have fought overseas.
     
  5. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    The point of my OP is that the article was only about Blacks who served in the USA Army.

    Yet many whites in the US Army died of disease as well as both Blacks and Whites in the CSA Army.
     
  6. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    No, that was before Baptists took the pledge.
     
  7. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    A sad by negligible number.
     
  8. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    A sad but relatively insignificant number.
     
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