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What always fascinates me about the Civil War is the sheer number of deaths, and how quickly they mounted. Wikipedia estimates 215,000 deaths in a roughy 4 yea

by tmuir 12y ago

What always fascinates me about the Civil War is the sheer number of deaths, and how quickly they mounted. Wikipedia estimates 215,000 deaths in a roughy 4 year period. The Battle of Gettysburg saw over 4000 dead on each side in a 3 day period. That means, in 3 days, more US soldiers died than in 13 years of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

ubernostrum 12y ago
People forget that about the American Civil War, quite often. It's estimated that the Normandy landings on D-Day had 14,000-19,000 casualties total (all sides). The Battle of Antietam had 22,000 casualties in a single day. Cold Harbor may have had up to 7,000 in a matter of minutes. At Gettysburg, Pickett's division suffered around 60% casualties in their one charge, including a 100% casualty rate among regimental and brigade commanders, prompting his famous comment to Lee (on being told to prepare his division for a possible Union counterattack) "General Lee, I have no division". It was a relentlessly and almost unbelievably bloody conflict, and yet both sides found the will to keep it going for four years. What sticks out to me is Grant's comment after the first day at Shiloh (which had been close to a massacre of the Union forces) in response to Sherman, who said to him "Well, Grant, we've had the Devil's own day, haven't we?" Grant simply said "Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow, though." And he did. In the end it was that stubbornness and willingness to keep pressing on in spite of the horrific casualties that won the war.
gojomo 12y ago
Also fascinating: around the same time in China, there was a civil war involving a quasi-Christian cult/reform-movement (the Taiping Rebellion). Over 20 million people, mostly civilians, were killed from 1850-1864. That's an average of almost 4,000 per day, for the entire 15-year duration of the conflict.

by tmuir 12y ago

ubernostrum 12y ago

People forget that about the American Civil War, quite often. It's estimated that the Normandy landings on D-Day had 14,000-19,000 casualties total (all sides). The Battle of Antietam had 22,000 casualties in a single day. Cold Harbor may have had up to 7,000 in a matter of minutes. At Gettysburg, Pickett's division suffered around 60% casualties in their one charge, including a 100% casualty rate among regimental and brigade commanders, prompting his famous comment to Lee (on being told to prepare his division for a possible Union counterattack) "General Lee, I have no division". It was a relentlessly and almost unbelievably bloody conflict, and yet both sides found the will to keep it going for four years. What sticks out to me is Grant's comment after the first day at Shiloh (which had been close to a massacre of the Union forces) in response to Sherman, who said to him "Well, Grant, we've had the Devil's own day, haven't we?" Grant simply said "Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow, though." And he did. In the end it was that stubbornness and willingness to keep pressing on in spite of the horrific casualties that won the war.

gojomo 12y ago

Also fascinating: around the same time in China, there was a civil war involving a quasi-Christian cult/reform-movement (the Taiping Rebellion). Over 20 million people, mostly civilians, were killed from 1850-1864. That's an average of almost 4,000 per day, for the entire 15-year duration of the conflict.