[Mrs. Don-o]

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?

[AnalogReigns]

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.

[SuziQ]

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.

I'm sure there was a goodly number of Southern rural white people who suffered the same fate. Most whites in the South were NOT plantation owners. Many were simply folks trying to eke out a living off land that hadn't been kept up for several years. And after the war, there were fewer men to do the heavy work.

[Sherman Logan]

Didn’t happen. See the census reports from 1860 and 1870.