Text D   Cost of the War

1.     The human cost of the war far exceeded what anyone had imagined in 1861. The North placed roughly 2.2 million men in uniform (180,000 of them blacks), of whom about 640,000 were killed, wounded in battle, or died of disease. Of the 360,000 Northern soldiers who died, two thirds perished from illnesses such as dysentery, diarrhea, measles, malaria, and typhoid. Casualties in Confederate forces are more difficult to estimate, but they probably approached 450,000 out of approximately 750,000 to 850,000 Confederate soldiers. Of these, it is estimated that more than 250,000 died. Total deaths thus exceeded 600,000, and the dead and wounded combined totaled about 1.1 million. More Americans were killed in the Civil War than in all other American wars combined from the colonial period through the war in Afghanistan in 2001. 

2.    Human suffering also extended beyond the military sphere and continued long after fighting ceased. During the conflict, thousands of black and white Southerners became refugees, losing many of their possessions and facing an uncertain future in strange surroundings. Far fewer Northern civilians experienced the war so directly，although the citizens of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, saw their town burned by Confederate cavalry in 1864. An unknown number of civilians perished at the hands of guerrillas, deserters, and, less frequently, regular soldiers in both armies. After the war, many thousands of veterans struggled to cope with lost limbs and other wounds. Thousands of families faced difficult financial circumstances due to the death of husbands and fathers. The United States government made available small pensions for disabled veterans and widows of soldiers, and southern states did the same for former Confederate soldiers and their widows. In neither instance, however, were the funds sufficient to provide for all the needs of a family.

Questions for Discussion or Reflection

1. How do you describe the casualties in the Civil War?

2. What were the problems people had to face after the war?

3. Could the United States government offer enough help to the people in need?

Proper Names

Fort Sumter 萨姆特堡

the American Civil War 美国内战

the Mexican War 墨西哥战役

Notes

1. The Mexican War: The War between the United States and Mexico began with a Mexican attack on American troops along the southern border of Texas on Apr.25, 1846. Fighting ended when the U.S. general Winfield Scott occupied Mexico City on Sept. 14, 1847. A few months later, a peace treaty was signed at Guadalupe Hidalgo on Feb.2, 1848.

2. King Cotton: It is a phrase frequently used by Southern politicians and authors prior to the American Civil War, indicating the economic and political importance of cotton production. After the invention of the cotton gin in 1793，cotton surpassed tobacco as the dominant cash crop in the agricultural economy of the South, soon comprising more than half the total U.S. exports.

3. War of 1812: The conflict between the United States and Britain began in 1812 and lasted until early 1815. President James Madison requested a declaration of war to protect American ships on the high seas and to stop the British from impressing or seizing U. S. sailors. U.S. ships were being stopped and searched by both Great Britain and France who were fighting each other in Europe. President Madison also wanted to prevent Britain from forming alliances with Native Americans on the American frontier. His decision was influenced by Americans in the West and South who hoped to expand the United States by seizing control of both Canada and Florida. Critics called the War of 1812 “Mr. Madison's War," but others saw it as a “second war of independence,” an opportunity for Americans to defend their freedom and their honor in the face of European disrespect. Neither Britain nor the United States was particularly well prepared to fight this war, and the conflict eventually ended in a stalemate.