National Park Service

[Mr King]

Interesting website that provides info on population, finance, agriculture, industry, enlistment strength, civilian occupations, strength, casualties, prisoners, but I've read that the North suffered much less deaths in prison camps but still an very interesting and informative website.
http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/facts.htm

 

[ForeverFree]

Thanks for this.

Among the comments at the site:

Prisoners

Of the 211,411 Union soldiers captured 16,668 were paroled on the field and 30,218 died in prison. Of the 462,634 Confederate soldiers captured 247,769 were paroled on the field and 25,976 died in prison. The mortality rate for prisoners of war was 15.5 percent for Union soldiers and 12 percent for Confederate soldiers.​

Does anyone have on thoughts on the stats which are bolded?

- Alan

 

[ForeverFree]

Concerning this:

Enlistment Strength

Enlistment strength for the Union Army is 2,672,341.

Enlistment strength for the Confederate Army ranges from 750,000 to 1,227,890. Soldier demographics for the Confederate Army are not available due to incomplete and destroyed enlistment records.​

I've always believed these numbers are misleading. The CSA employed what we call today a stop-loss program. Once a soldier joined the Confederate army, they couldn't leave unless injured, captured, or deserted. As such, the disparity between the two forces is not as much as it seems, because a higher rate of Union soldiers mustered out during the course of the war compared to Confederates.

Or so it seems to me. Any thoughts?

- Alan

 

[MRB1863]

May they all rest in peace, North and South.

 

[CSA Today]

Concerning this:

Enlistment Strength

Enlistment strength for the Union Army is 2,672,341.

Enlistment strength for the Confederate Army ranges from 750,000 to 1,227,890. Soldier demographics for the Confederate Army are not available due to incomplete and destroyed enlistment records.​

I've always believed these numbers are misleading. The CSA employed what we call today a stop-loss program. Once a soldier joined the Confederate army, they couldn't leave unless injured, captured, or deserted. As such, the disparity between the two forces is not as much as it seems, because a higher rate of Union soldiers mustered out during the course of the war compared to Confederates.

Or so it seems to me. Any thoughts?

- Alan

The 1860 census is available so it essential that an understanding of the able bodied male population of age available to the Confederate armed forces be taken into consideration. I don't put stock into claims of tens of thousands of Black Confederates or 100,000 plus whites, from the eleven Confederate States, flocking to join the Federal armies. Still I doubt the CSA had the manpower reserves to put more than a million men into arms (probably closer to 750,000), and that would be counting reserves and Home Guard.

http://www.civil-war.net/pages/1860_census.html

 

[Allie]

Concerning this:

Enlistment Strength

Enlistment strength for the Union Army is 2,672,341.

Enlistment strength for the Confederate Army ranges from 750,000 to 1,227,890. Soldier demographics for the Confederate Army are not available due to incomplete and destroyed enlistment records.​

I've always believed these numbers are misleading. The CSA employed what we call today a stop-loss program. Once a soldier joined the Confederate army, they couldn't leave unless injured, captured, or deserted. As such, the disparity between the two forces is not as much as it seems, because a higher rate of Union soldiers mustered out during the course of the war compared to Confederates.

Or so it seems to me. Any thoughts?

- Alan

I have a couple Confederate relatives who enlisted in 1861, served a year or three years and then went home. It wasn't until later that enlistments were "for the war."

 

[ForeverFree]

I have a couple Confederate relatives who enlisted in 1861, served a year or three years and then went home. It wasn't until later that enlistments were "for the war."

That is correct. The Conscription Act, which extended the terms of enlistment for all one-year soldiers to three years, wasn't enacted until April 16, 1862.

- Alan