USA HISTORY

SECTIONAL CRISIS 1850 1861

START OF THE CIVIL WAR

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What was the most common cause of death for soldiers in the Civil War?
A
lack of protective clothing and foot gear
B
surprise ambushes in the field
C
incorrect diagnosis by field doctors
D
disease and infection
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Pneumonia, typhoid, diarrhea/dysentery, and malaria were the predominant illnesses. Altogether, two-thirds of the approximately 660, 000 deaths of soldiers were caused by uncontrolled infectious diseases, and epidemics played a major role in halting several major campaigns.

Detailed explanation-2: -Twice as many Civil War soldiers died from disease as from battle wounds, the result in considerable measure of poor sanitation in an era that created mass armies that did not yet understand the transmission of infectious diseases like typhoid, typhus, and dysentery.

Detailed explanation-3: -Diarrhea and dysentery were the number one killers. (Dysentery is considered diarrhea with blood in the stool.) 57, 000 deaths were directly recorded to these most disabling maladies. The total recorded Union cases was 1, 528, 098.

Detailed explanation-4: -In the American civil war, two-thirds of the estimated 660 000 deaths of soldiers were caused by pneumonia, typhoid, dysentery, and malaria, and this death toll led to a 2-year extension of the war. These diseases became known as the “third army”.

Detailed explanation-5: -Among the diseases and viruses that were most prevalent were influenza, typhoid, trench foot and trench fever.

There is 1 question to complete.