1861 — Apr 12-Jun 30, 1865; Typhoid Fever, Civil War, Confederate/Union forces–~65,000

–~65,000 Stover, Ken. “Civil War Diseases. CivilWarAcademy.com. Accessed 3-28-2021.
–~30,000 Confederate
–~35,000 Union
— 34,833 Burns, Stanley B. MD. Mercy Street. “Behind the Lens: A History in Pictures.” PBS.
— 29,336 Apr 12, 1861-June 30, 1865, Union Troops. Kohn. Encyclopedia of Plague… 2001, 358.
— 27,058 White Union soldiers during Civil War. Bollet. “Typhoid Fever.” Civil War Rx. 2014.

Narrative Information

Bollet: “Feared and often fatal, typhoid fever was one of the most terrible epidemic diseases in the 1800s. Typhoid is an intestinal infection that is spread by ingesting food or water contaminated with the bacteria called ‘Salmonella typhi’. Such contamination was usually widespread in army camps, and caused huge epidemics. During the Civil War, there were 75,418 cases in white Union soldiers and 27,058 (36%) of then died. Black troops encountered the disease at a comparable rate, and the Confederate records that exist indicate a similar experience.

“The disease was at its peak during the first full year of the war (July 1, 1861, to June 30, 1862). During that period, 5.9% of Union soldiers (based on the army’s mean strength that year) were diagnosed with typhoid fever; 2% of the entire army died from it. The next year, when there was still active recruitment, 4.9% of the men reportedly had typhoid fever and 1.7% died.

“In subsequent years, the incidence of typhoid fever averaged about 1.5% of the army’s mean strength, and less than 1% died. There are no exact statistics on the incidence of disease in Confederate troops during this period, but anecdotal reports from physicians and commanders suggest a similar experience.

“Patients with severe typhoid experience fever and severe generalized malaise as the bacteria spreads through the body. These patients usually develop transient red skin lesions called “rose spots” and have diminished mental function. Paralysis of wall muscles in the bowel can lead to intestinal dilation, distending the abdomen; nineteenth-century physicians described this phenomenon as ‘adynamia’. Diarrhea or constipation may occur, and perforation of the intestine can lead to death. Typhoid can also cause bronchitis, leading to pneumonia.

“There were no effective treatments for typhoid. Physicians attempted to treat the symptoms using analgesics and quinine (as an antipyretic), and tried to find a palatable, appropriate diet for sufferers. Occasionally, these measures did some good. However, some physicians prescribed calomel for typhoid fever, causing mercury poisoning in many of the patients.” (Bollet. “Typhoid Fever.” Civil War Rx. 2014.)

Burns: “Of the 620,000 recorded military deaths in the Civil War about two-thirds died from disease. However, recent studies show the number of deaths was probably closer to 750,000. Crowded conditions, poor hygiene, absence of sanitary disposal of garbage and human waste, inadequate diets, and no specific disease treatments was a formula for disaster.…

“The second leading cause of death was typhoid fever. It was included with other vague ‘continued fevers’ and described as typhomalarial disease or camp fever. There were 148,631 cases in Union troops with 34,833 deaths….” (Burns, Stanley B. MD. Mercy Street. “Behind the Lens: A History in Pictures.” PBS. Accessed 3-27-2021.)

Kohn: “U.S. Civil War Epidemics….

“….Typhoid fever, then a killer disease, was also rampant [previous paragraph on dysentery and diarrhea], especially among new recruits; 79,462 cases of typhoid and 29,336 deaths (37 percent mortality) were reported in the Union army. Some regiments were dubbed ‘typhoid’ regiments because of the high incidence of the disease. With one attack conferring immunity, typhoid incidence declined as the pool of susceptible soldiers shrank. Nevertheless, case mortality increased from 17 percent in 1861 to 56 percent in 1865. Typho-malarial fevers were recorded but classified separately.” (Kohn. Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence… 2001, p. 358.

Stover: “….Civil War Diseases: Typhoid

“Typhoid was another major killer. This disease was a result of contaminated water or food. Typhoid killed around 30,000 Confederate and 35,000 Union troops during the war. 1 out of every 3 people who contracted this disease died of it.” (Stover, Ken. “Civil War Diseases. CivilWarAcademy.com.)

Sources

Barnes, Joseph K. (Surgeon General, United States Army). The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion (1861-65). Part I, Volume. I, Medical History. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1870. Accessed 3-27-2021 at: https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/bookviewer?PID=nlm:nlmuid-14121350RX1-mvpart#page/4/mode/2up

Bollet, Alfred Jay, M.D. “Typhoid Fever.” Civil War Rx: The Source Guide to Civil War Medicine. 2014. Accessed 3-27-2021 at: http://civilwarrx.blogspot.com/2013/04/typhoid-fever.html

Burns, Stanley B. MD. Mercy Street. “Behind the Lens: A History in Pictures.” PBS. Accessed 3-27-2021 at: http://www.pbs.org/mercy-street/uncover-history/behind-lens/disease/

Kohn, George Childs (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence From Ancient Times to the Present (Revised Edition). NY: Checkmark Books, 2001.

Stover, Ken. “Civil War Diseases. CivilWarAcademy.com. Accessed 3-28-2021 at: https://www.civilwaracademy.com/civil-war-diseases