Conditions were rough for the average Civil War soldier. For example, I'm reading about the siege of Chattanooga right now (which happened just after Chickamaugua). Those soldiers were very hungry. Food and supplies was down to a trickle. Many soldiers had to resort to picking corn kernels out of animal feces and mud on the road.
As many or more soldiers died from disease, starvation and filth than fighting in the war itself. Just incredible to imagine what they had gone through - both North and South.
Take it easy. I haven’t had breakfast yet.
My great grandfather served. I have his Springfield hanging over the fireplace next to a framed key of Libby prison. (which he hand framed) My mother said he used to tell tall tales of the war to her and her sisters and my great uncle took the time to write them all down. They are quite a hoot to read today, obviously embellished but based in truth.
Roughly twice as many soldiers died from these causes as from battle deaths and wounds.
The appalling fact is that this proportion was probably the lowest in history to that point.
Medicine was just beginning to get a grip on such things, but it still made enough of a difference to considerably reduce the ratio.
For instance, in the Mexican War the ratio between all deaths and battle deaths wasn't 2:1 or 3:1, it was around 10:1. In the Revolutionary War it was about 3:1.