REMEMBERING THE PAST A HISTORICALÂ MAGAZINE Issue #1 June 5, 2017
A BLOODY TIME IN U.S. HISTORY (PG. 2) $4.99
A BLOODY TIME IN U.S. HISTORY BY PAYTON SMITH
The Civil War was a bloody time in U.S. history because of the bad weather conditions, poor medical care, and violent, vicious battles.
Top 10 Bloodiest battles in the Civil War (Casualties) 1. Gettysburg 40,638 2. Chickamauga 28,399 3. Seven Days 27,535 4. Antietam 23,381 5. Wilderness 22,033 6. Chancellorsville 21,862 7. Atlanta 19,715 8. Bull Run 19,204 9. Stones River 18,459 10. Shiloh 17,897
Poor Weather wreaks havoc on Civil War First of all, bad weather conditions led to heightened disaster on the battlefield during the Civil War. Terrible flooding filled the camps. Soldiers and cannons got stuck in the mud, making it difficult to move around and fight. Throughout the war, the weather had a major impact on the battle strategies on both side, as well as affected when and where the battles were fought. For example, “It did not take long for General Burnside's troops to be bogged down in mud. Wagons and cannons became stuck, and many soldiers fell in the mud and lost their shoes. The troops had no choice but to abandon their mission and return to camp. Upon their arrival, they found their shelters flooded.� This information shows how weather made the Civil War a bloody time in American history. The map (right) shows the two sides that fought in the U.S. Civil War
THREE BLOODY, INTERESTIN G FACTS ABOUT THE Snowball fight CIVIL WAR
Two back-to-back snowstorms in February of 1863 provided the ammunition for a friendly snowball battle amongst rival divisions of Confederate troops near Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Confederate soldiers sick or injured six times
On average, the Confederate soldier was estimated to be ill or injured about 6 times over the course of the war
A life too young
Thirty percent of all Southern white males between the ages of 18 and 40 died in the war.
Medical mayhem amidst the Civil War Next, poor medical care contributed to an even bloodier mess in the Civil War. First, armies didn’t know how transport their wounded troops and there was no organized ambulance system. A lot of people died waiting for care. “Armies initially struggled to efficiently tend to and transport their wounded, inadvertently sacrificing more lives to mere disorganization.” In addition, military surgeons didn’t know how to treat some types of wounds. “Most Civil War military surgeons were graduates of unregulated two-year medical schools.” Finally, making things even worse and contributing to more death, disease was widespread and doctors were at a loss. “Military surgeons had little understanding of the causes of communicable disease and most treatments were ineffective.” As a result, “ Twothirds of these deaths were not the result of enemy fire, but of a force stronger than any army of men: disease.” Together, these examples, show why poor medical care made the Civil War a bloody time in American history.
Finally, the most compelling reason why the Civil War was a bloody time in American history is because of the violent battles such as The Battles Of Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and Spotsylvania. Roughly 620,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died during the war because of canons, open battlefields, and improved weaponry.
Cannons allowed soldier to shoot from long range and kill many people at once. Open battlefields meant soldiers could fire walls of bullets at once – “...fifteen hundred bullets tore into the Union line.” Third, many new weapons were used in the war. “The Civil War was the first war in which soldiers used repeating rifles (which could fire several shots without reloading),
breechloading arms (which were loaded from behind the barrel instead of through the muzzle), and automated weapons like the Gatling gun. The Civil War also marked the first use by Americans of shrapnel, booby traps, and landmines.” These factors all added up to a very bloody war. body text
Learning from the past for a less bloodier future Bad weather, poor medical care, and violent battles created the perfect storm for a bloody time in U.S. history. The Civil War killed two percent of the country’s population because of these challenges. Today, we hope history never repeats itself and are grateful that the U.S. is now free and united because of the Civil War.
Sad facts
More men were killed in the first two hours of the Gettysburg war than in all previous American wars.
Thirty percent of all Southern white males between the ages of 18 and 40 died in the war.
The Union and Confederate Flags of the Civil War
Lee Surrenders; The War is Over. April 9, 1865
Citations Digital History. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2017. "Civil War Casualties." Civil War Trust. Civil War Trust, n.d. Web. 04 June 2017. ""A Desperate Snow Battle"." Civil War Trust. Civil War Trust, n.d. Web. 04 June 2017. "Notable Civil War Weather Events." Local Weather from AccuWeather.com - Superior Accuracy™. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2017. "Civil War Medicine." Civil War Trust. Civil War Trust, n.d. Web. 04 June 2017. Tooker, John. "Antietam: Aspects of Medicine, Nursing and the Civil War." Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association. American Clinical and Climatological Association, 2007. Web. 04 June 2017. "Medicine in the American Civil War." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 June 2017. Web. 04 June 2017.