Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Civilian Deaths in the US Civil War
Civil War Talk blog ^ | 2 Sept. 2013 | Ralph Davis

Posted on 09/02/2013 12:49:27 PM PDT by AnalogReigns

Relating to Syria:

Not a blog or article authored by me (see link above), however, it puts into perspective the USA's own 4 year civil war....where experts estimate (and no one really knows, or can know...) 100,000 to 250,000 CIVILIAN DEATHS were caused by the war--the vast majority being in the South.

Some historians estimate that as many as 50,000 civilians died of starvation as a result of Sherman's march to the sea alone.


TOPICS: History; Military/Veterans; Miscellaneous; Society
KEYWORDS: civilwar; deathtoll; dixie; greatestpresident; military; obama; sevenyearswar; syria; thirdsilesianwar; whinywhinygirl
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-89 next last
Good thing other nations intervened in our civil war to stop it, eh? (Oh wait, none did...)
1 posted on 09/02/2013 12:49:27 PM PDT by AnalogReigns
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: AnalogReigns

britain tried to help the confederacy, no?


2 posted on 09/02/2013 12:56:59 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AnalogReigns

Well back then there was no King Obama and there was no opportunity to spread Is-lame. People call King Obama ‘inept”. No he isn’t, he has pretty much accomplished everything he set out to do hasn’t he? Helped spread radical Is-lame, damaged the US, radical Is-lame never had it so good under this guy.


3 posted on 09/02/2013 12:58:01 PM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (What do we want? Time travel. When do we want it? It's irrelevant.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AnalogReigns
In reality, 0 people died of starvation as a result of Sherman's March.
4 posted on 09/02/2013 1:02:37 PM PDT by wideawake
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AnalogReigns

“100,000 to 250,000 CIVILIAN DEATHS were caused by the war—the vast majority being in the South.”

The next US civil war will make that look like a Sunday picnic.


5 posted on 09/02/2013 1:02:49 PM PDT by I cannot think of a name
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

“britain tried to help the confederacy, no?”

The UK considered it...and had Gettyburg been a Confederate win, perhaps they would of backed southern independance.

My main point is—as civilized as we think we are—in an era without any “weapons of mass destruction” the USA—primarily by the actions of the US government—killed a LOT of our own civilians, during a relatively short period of time.

This should cause us some circumspection about getting involved one iota...in the Syrian civil war.


6 posted on 09/02/2013 1:04:19 PM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: wideawake

“In reality, 0 people died of starvation as a result of Sherman’s March.”

Yes, and Walt Disney gives an accurate portrayal of the Civil War too.

See my main point above.


7 posted on 09/02/2013 1:06:04 PM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man
britain tried to help the confederacy, no?

the Russians stopped them

8 posted on 09/02/2013 1:09:39 PM PDT by mjp ((pro-{God, reality, reason, egoism, individualism, natural rights, limited government, capitalism}))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: GrandJediMasterYoda

0bama is incompetent. Valerie is pulling the strings.


9 posted on 09/02/2013 1:10:18 PM PDT by Conspiracy Guy (To stay calm during these tumultuous times, I take Damitol. Ask your Doctor if it's right for you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: AnalogReigns
I read somewhere (always beware a statement that begins, "I read somewhere...") that recent research indicates that a truly HUGE number (I'm talking about, like, a million?) Southern rural black people died in the CW and its decade-long aftermath, from starvation and the final-blow diseases which mow down masses of people weakened by malnutrition.

These deaths were caused by the collapse of agriculture in the South: the destruction of livestock, both food and draft animals; physical destruction of crops and assets such as barns, stables, granaries, tools, roads, bridges, rail and port facilities; such a terrible loss of manpower that there was nobody who could effectively plant and reap, and preserve the harvest.

Plus the horror of epidemic waterborne diseases from springs and wells contaminated with corpses of man and beast.

Anybody know about this?

10 posted on 09/02/2013 1:11:26 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o ("If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Matthew 19:17)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AnalogReigns

True or not, nobody should take as gospel anything from a blog.


11 posted on 09/02/2013 1:11:41 PM PDT by humblegunner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wideawake
Legitimate historians have a wide range of opinions on the exact numbers of civilians who died as a result of the US Civil War, HOWEVER:

My main point is—as civilized as we think we are—in an era without any “weapons of mass destruction” the USA—primarily by the actions of the US government—killed a LOT of our own civilians, during a relatively short period of time.

This should cause us some circumspection about getting involved one iota...in the Syrian civil war.


12 posted on 09/02/2013 1:12:39 PM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: I cannot think of a name

Partially because there are 340 million of us now rather than maybe 20-30 million then (guessing from memory, correct me if I’m off).

Also, there are a lot of us trapped in Cities dependent on infrastructure for life. The power goes out and food stops coming in, “civil society” will eat itself.


13 posted on 09/02/2013 1:13:45 PM PDT by Dead Corpse (I will not comply.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Mrs. Don-o; All
I wouldn't doubt that a plurality of black southerners died as a result of the war, however--I'm not looking to discuss specifics about the Civil War, however(once again):

My main point is—as civilized as we think we are—in an era without any “weapons of mass destruction” the USA—primarily by the actions of the US government—killed a LOT of our own civilians, during a relatively short period of time.

This should cause us some circumspection about getting involved one iota...in the Syrian civil war.


14 posted on 09/02/2013 1:16:52 PM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: humblegunner

Amen. If it’s not double and triple checked, it’s dubious.
I just got sent, today, that great series of steps of human progression attributed to “1887 Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the
University of Edinburgh.” I agree with the sentiment of freedom to slavery etc, but I’ve seen that deal debunked over and over forever, but it still gets resurrected, like dozens of bogus quotes “by” Hitler, Jefferson, etc.

It gets harder and harder to verify anything in the internet era where bogus but realistic-appearing websites proliferate. And it’s not just an academic exercise, it has real-world consequences, because millions of “low information voters” take as gospel what they see on MSM television, and God helps us, the internet.


15 posted on 09/02/2013 1:18:52 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: humblegunner

I’m not taking anything as gospel from a blog.

It is however and undisputed fact that tens of thousands (or perhaps as many as 250,000) of civilians died as a result of the US Civil War


16 posted on 09/02/2013 1:19:43 PM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee; humblegunner

So would either of you dispute that A LOT of civilians died as a result of the US Civil War?

My point stands whether 10,000 or 250,000 of civilians died as a result of our Civil War. All historians put the number in at least the 10s of thousands....and lately in the field of military deaths from that war, the estimates have gone up.


17 posted on 09/02/2013 1:24:17 PM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: AnalogReigns
It is however and undisputed fact that tens of thousands (or perhaps as many as 250,000) of civilians died as a result of the US Civil War

If a blog predicted that the sun would rise in the morning
I would seek other confirmation. Any retard can write a blog.

18 posted on 09/02/2013 1:26:52 PM PDT by humblegunner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Dead Corpse

“Also, there are a lot of us trapped in Cities dependent on infrastructure for life. The power goes out and food stops coming in, “civil society” will eat itself.”

Alas, Brave New Babylon

http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/bracken-alas-brave-new-babylon/


19 posted on 09/02/2013 1:27:48 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: AnalogReigns
Again, the claim that Sherman's March resulted in starvation for anyone is a myth invented after the war.

And the claims of large amounts of civilian deaths only make sense if one makes the argument that deaths from diseases unintentionally spread by armies on the march qualify.

The underlying blog post is not based on hard sources and uses the Napoleonic Wars as a way of calculating Civil War civilian deaths - a highly flawed assumption.

There really is just one good example of starvation as a result of direct military action in the US Civil War: the siege of Vicksburg - and there the number was probably closer to 200-300, not thousands.

What is happening in Syria is different: it is the deliberate execution of noncombatants by government troops and by terrorists.

This is happening on a scale far larger than those conducted by mass killers of civilians like William Quantrill in the Civil War - who was accused of killing several hundred people during his raids.

20 posted on 09/02/2013 1:30:15 PM PDT by wideawake
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-89 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson