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

To: BroJoeK
And let us, please, give credit where it is due: by comparison to almost any other armies in civil or other wars throughout the history of mankind, our ancestors on both sides were veritable models of "Christian soldiers", and deserve to be recognized as such.

In almost every civil war in history, the civilian casualties were a significant multiple of the military casualties. And the winners after the war took massive vengeance by executions and confiscation of the property of the losers.

Uniquely, AFAIK, our Civil War had civilian deaths that were probably <50k and almost certainly <100k. Perhaps 10% to 20% of military deaths.

Exactly one CSA soldier was executed by the Union after the war for war crimes.

There was a truly massive confiscation of wealth when the slaves were freed, with the resultant loss of capital throwing the South into many decades of poverty. But confiscation of other types of property was little if any.

Let's recognize the virtues of our ancestors. Mine fought on both sides, with at least one fighting first for the CSA then for USA.

183 posted on 01/31/2014 8:37:44 AM PST by Sherman Logan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 173 | View Replies ]


To: Sherman Logan; rockrr; Vigilanteman
Sherman Logan: "Uniquely, AFAIK, our Civil War had civilian deaths that were probably <50k and almost certainly <100k.
Perhaps 10% to 20% of military deaths."

And even those numbers are grossly exaggerated speculation.
If you go looking for the names of confirmed civilians who died directly as a result of the Civil War, you could muster a few dozen names -- at most.

All the rest of those 50,000 or 100,000 alleged deaths are just statistical speculations, based on the population's growth rate from 1850 to 1860, versus the lower growth rate from 1860 to 1870.

Sure, with their menfolk off at war, women had fewer children.
And with disruptions in food & other supplies, some older people got sick, and died sooner than they would have in peacetime.
And there were occasional stray bullets in battle which struck and killed unfortunate civilians nearby.

But there were very few, if any, incidents of soldiers wantonly murdering civilians, incidents which in every other war have been considered unavoidable "collateral damage".

184 posted on 01/31/2014 9:13:57 AM PST by BroJoeK (a little historical perspective....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 183 | View Replies ]

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