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An estimated three-and-a-half million men fought in the American Civil War and approximately 620,000 perished, which is more than all of America's
combined combat fatalities.
There are various reasons why there is not an exact fatality and casualty
count for the American Civil War: incomplete, inaccurate, and destroyed records; casualty exaggerations; several died
from disease after the war; missing-in-action (MIA), which is an implication since the soldier may have deserted, been captured,
or been completely blown to pieces in battle. The general consensus (best estimates) is 618,000 to 700,000 fatalities. Sadly,
however, there is no record or research tracking and studying how many wounded and diseased soldiers died during what is commonly
referred to as the "Aftermath."
The tendency to exaggerate
enemy desertions and casualties, while minimizing their own, was characteristic of Union and Confederate armies in their respective reports
of the many skirmishes and battles of the American Civil War. Each side was also eager to enhance its own morale by
writing favorable reports. According to
Lt. Col. Walter Clark's
Regiments: An Extended Index to the Histories of the Several Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina in the Great War
1861-1865, p. 5: "The majority of troop rosters and official military records had been forcibly confiscated
by Lincoln’s hordes or wantonly destroyed.”
| Dead Union Soldier at Siege of Petersburg in 1865 |
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| Library of Congress |
Casualty Does Not Equal Dead
Casualties include three categories: 1) dead (aka fatalities, killed-in-action
and mortally wounded); 2) wounded; and 3) missing or captured. In general terms, casualties of Civil War battles included
20% dead and 80% wounded. Of the soldiers who were wounded, about one out of seven died from his wounds. Over 2/3 of the estimated
620,000 men who gave their lives in the Civil War died from disease, not from battle.
When one totals the Americans that died in the Revolutionary War, War
of 1812, Mexican American War, Spanish American War, World War One, World War Two, Korean War and Vietnam War, it is less
than the total American Civil War casualties.
Union Casualty (Fatality) Estimates:
Battle Deaths: 110,070
Disease, etc.: 250,152
Total Deaths:
360,222
Confederate Estimated Losses (Fatalities):
Battle Deaths: 94,000
Disease, etc.: 164,000
Total
Deaths: 258,000
Sources: Fox's Regimental Losses; United States Department
of Veterans Affairs; Library of Congress: American War Casualty Lists and Statistics; Official Records
of the Union and Confederate Armies; National Park Service
Casualties and Statistics for All American Wars and Conflicts:
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American Deaths in All Wars
The following numbers reflect deaths (excluding wounded and missing):
Source: U.S. Army Military
History Institute, Carlisle, PA |
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Revolutionary War (1775-1783) |
4,435 |
| War of 1812 (1812-1815) |
2,260 |
| Mexican War (1846-1848) |
13,283 |
| Civil War (1861-1865) |
623,026 |
| Spanish-American War (1898) |
2,446 |
| World War I (1917-1918) |
116,708 |
| World War II (1941-1945) |
407,316 |
| Korean War (1950-1953) |
36,914 |
| Vietnam War (1964-1973) |
58,169 |
| Persian Gulf War (1991) |
269 | |
North Carolina War Deaths
The following numbers reflect deaths (excluding wounded and missing)
Source: North Carolina Museum of History
| Civil War |
992,622 (1860) |
40,275 (CSA) |
| World War I |
2,206,287 (1910) |
2,375 |
| World War II |
3,571,623 (1940) |
7,000 |
| Korean War |
4,061,929 (1950) |
876 |
| Vietnam War |
4,556,155 (1960) |
1,572 |
Recommended Reading: American Civil War Battles, Battlefields, and Commanders
© 2005, 2006, 2007 Matthew D. Parker. All Rights Reserved.
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