Hardships Of Soldiers In The Civil War

Soldiers in the Civil War faced many hardships compared to other wars the United States has fought in or been involved. The Civil War, the deadliest war in the history of the United States, consisted of many gruesome casualties and deaths as well as triumphs and downfalls. Other time periods did not have to deal with the hardships other US troops had to face. The Civil War was fought in the United States between the North known as the Union, and the South known as the Confederacy. The United States was fighting itself and forcing the citizens of the United States to pick and choose a side. According to intensive research by Digital History, a soldier was thirteen times more likely to die in the Civil War than the Vietnam War. Soldiers were

The Civil War grew to be the deadliest war in US history for numerous reasons, one reason being both sides were apart of the US at some point, and every death was an American death, unlike other wars such as the American Revolution War. Another reason why the Civil War became the deadliest war in US history is due to the unprecedented violence of battles such as Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. Thirteen thousand troops were killed at the battle of Shiloh, About four thousand deaths happened at Antietam, and the Battle of Gettysburg had a total casualty count of about fifty thousand. The violence that occurred in the United States of America shocked international observers as well as the citizens of the Union and Confederacy. Another reason the Civil War grew to be so deadly had to do with the advancement of weaponry. Cone shaped bullets replaced musket balls, and smooth-bore muskets were replaced with rifles with grooved barrels. Both the North and the South were using the new and improved weaponry against each other. The Civil War became the first war in which soldiers used rifles that could fire several shots before needing to be reloaded. Many weapons were used for the first time as well, such as shrapnel, land mines, and booby traps. One of the easiest ways to heal someone in the Civil War after a serious injury was amputation. Some soldiers got diseases in their legs and arms from gunshot wounds and germs could get into the bloodstream. Doctors would then amputate the arm, or leg to prevent the disease from spreading throughout the rest of the body. Almost twenty five percent of amputees died from their surgeries. Finally, one of the last reasons the Civil War grew to be the deadliest war in US history has to do with how strongly each side believed that what they were fighting for was right. The North fought for the Union to be preserved, for their inalienable rights,