Civilian Deaths

kevikens

2nd Lieutenant
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Location
New Jersey
I realize pretty much everyone knows of the statistic of about 625,000 dead from ther Civil War, presumably all military. Are there any studies that document the number of civilians killed during the war? Right now I am reading a book on the war and the author says the war claimed some 50,000 civilian lives but offers no other information on how that figure was arrived at. Is this some "lie agreed upon" commonly accepted statistic or does it, like the military deaths estimate, rest on some study?
 
No answer here. I'd call it a SWAG that's possible. I can't imaging how anyone could know how many civilians died during the unpleasantness, let alone how.
 
I imagine the number would be quite a bit more than we may think considering the siege of Vicksburg, the burning of several cities, and we can factor in deaths from unexploded ordinance left on the battlefields. Greg Coco goes into some detail of, (quite a few boys) being killed or maimed salvaging unexploded shells at Gettysburg-post battle.
 
I agree, it's an impossible question. Direct civilian casualties, possibly, but indirect is another story. Families on both sides were left without labor (sons) who went into the armies and doubtless struggled to provide for themselves. How many may have died from malnutrition, overexertion, etc., is unknowable.
 
Mary Elizabeth Massey, Refugee Life in the Confederacy, claimed +/-50,000 Southern civilians died of war-related cause and diseases.

I wrote this book down in my notes to search it out. It was referenced in a book I read but don't remember the name. My interest in the book was to see how many died of malnutrition because it was a well known fact that the citizens of conquered cities lived better than Confederate cities. This is tied into the idea of Sherman chasing out the citizens of Atlanta - he had no intention of feeding them. There are quotes of him telling civilians what he was going to do and why. I just don't know where I read his quotes.
 
I agree, it's an impossible question. Direct civilian casualties, possibly, but indirect is another story. Families on both sides were left without labor (sons) who went into the armies and doubtless struggled to provide for themselves. How many may have died from malnutrition, overexertion, etc., is unknowable.

How many died from disease brought home by ill soldiers? Johnny gets measles, goes home on leave.....

Well, you get the idea. I don't see how anyone could arrive at a number, but then I don't like to count. :smile: Malnutrition alone would have probably accounted for increased deaths. When folks are sort of living on the edge anyway, any disruption in the food supply can have tragic consequences.
 
One thing I've wondered about....all those poor folks whose water supply was polluted by armies -- from those directly affected by battles to nearby camps polluting streams and wells....in a way I'm always surprised anyone survived this stuff.
 
I'll wager the ground water was OK - anyone relying on streams though, would definitely be in trouble.
 
I read a diary of a Soldier named Bell from Adairsville, Ga that told a story about not drinking water with wiggletail (mosquitoes) in it.I can't find it for the life up me but when I do I will post.
 
The number of military deaths was calculated at the turn of the 20th Century from official records, but subsequent scholarship suggests the real number is much higher. I think it's closer to 1 million counting men who died within a few years of the war and even those whose lives were shortened by service related disease.

There is no way to come up with civilian deaths since there simply are no records. Comparing census returns between 1860 and 1870 would be a start, but there are so many possible errors. People die naturally, the move, they are not counted. This was an era before death certificates so no help there.

50,000 is a good number, but so is 40,000 and 60,000. There is just no way of knowing.
 
I would think that some portion of those civilian casualties took place in Missouri and Kansas due to the border war. Civilians were killed by the partisans on either side. Does anyone know of any casualty statistics specifically on the guerrilla warfare in Missouri and Kansas?
 
I have long been troubled by the lack of research into civilian deaths caused by that war. This book fills a large gap. Military deaths are now being revised upward from 620,000 - the traditional number - to as high as 800,000. 50,000 White civilian deaths have long been acknowledged.
Now "Professor James Downs states that tens to hundreds of thousands of slaves died during the war from disease, starvation, exposure, or execution at the hands of the Confederates, and that if these deaths are counted in the war's total, the death toll would exceed 1 million" (Wikipedia American Civil War). This, from a population of 30 million.
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/11/books/sick-from-freedom-by-jim-downs-about-freed-slaves.html
 
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